Teen Lantern: First Outing
by Intergalactic Space Bling
Summary: As the Blue Lantern Corps begins to expand, Saint Walker's newly constructed power ring heads to Space Sector 2814 under curious circumstances. The Blue Lantern ring chooses a teenage denizen of Earth, Karen Cassidy. Now wielding the power of hope, Karen finds herself in the eye of the storm as mysterious events begin to unravel which may dictate the very fate of the universe.
1. Not Very Secret Origins

**Not Very Secret Origins**

The far off planet of Odym revolves around the North Star. It is considered by many to be a paradise; the multi-colored trees and bright sun make every day seem heavenly. The streams sing as water trickles down towards the Central Blue Lantern Battery, the heart of the Blue Lantern Corps. The Blue Lantern Corps is one of the seven factions that use the power of the emotional spectrum, theirs' being hope. The deeper than deep blue Battery towered above the trees as the only structure built on the angelic world. At the base of the Battery sat the first Blue Lantern, Saint Walker of Space Sector 1. Walker was the new leader of the Blue Lantern Corps, since the corps had been abandoned by their former leaders, Ganthet and Sayd, and while he had little experience with his new position, he was eager to give it his all. Currently he was doing what many thought impossible for a mortal: craft a Blue Lantern power ring. This had proven especially challenging for him, though he did have the resources, he lacked the specific designs of such a ring and was using his own as a comparable design. The Blue Lantern Corps was one of the smallest of the emotional spectrum, having only four members. The corps' recruitment process was a laboring task that took days for one member to be fully recognized as a Blue Lantern, then the new corpsman would select the next candidate from the next space sector and the pattern would continue. It is difficult to find a person who was strong enough to wield the power of hope to be an efficient corpsman and hence why their numbers were so few.

Saint Walker had been working for a solid month on the ring and, though trial and error had made what appeared to be a fully functional Blue Lantern power ring. "Brother Warth, come quick!" he shouted. Brother Warth was the second member of the Blue Lantern Corps and representative of Space Sector 2.

"Your labor has proved fruitful I take it?" he asked, as he flew to meet his comrade.

"Oh yes," said Saint Walker holding the ring up to the sun, "is it not beautiful?" The ring gave out a small, slow, pulsing light of deep blue. It was covered in scratch marks of Walker's toil and the symbol of the corps hadn't been perfectly replicated but it was magnificent. Suddenly, the ring yanked itself out of Saint Walker's grasp and began to fly up into the sky. Brother Warth quickly started to chase after it but as he flew faster, so did the ring. Warth began to strain as he kept accelerating, yet the ring was still faster. "Wait!" said Walker, as the ring sped off far beyond Warth's reach.

"But Saint Walker," said Warth, "we are meant to choose who wields our rings, not the rings themselves."

"I know that Brother," said Walker, "but perhaps this one is special, destiny does reveal itself in strange ways. What we must hope is that the ring shall choose a corpsman of Sector 5 wisely, and that all will be well." The two stared up and say a blue light leave Odym's atmosphere and disappear into the cosmos.

Saint Walker and Brother Warth stared up into the heavens for a while longer until Brother Warth, with a confused look on his brow, turned to his leader, "Saint Walker, I do not mean to sound impudent but I do not believe that to be the direction toward Space Sector 5."

Walker continued to stare upwards for a moment until he said, "You would be correct, Brother Warth. On second thought I believe we should pursue the ring."

"Agreed" The two rocket upward through Odym's atmosphere, the cheery songs of birds was quickly replaced by the wind rushing past their ears as they flew. Walker and Warth then entered the cold of space, the ring still traveling onward.

"Ring," said Saint Walker, "where is the new Blue Lantern ring heading?" Walker's ring spoke to him, _"According to current path, unnumbered Blue Lantern ring is on course to Space Sector…Warning, incoming vess-"_ Saint Walker suddenly felt a burst of burning pain from behind, it felt like he had the wind knocked out of him and his back felt like it was on fire. He couldn't feel his arms or legs and began to drift across space without his own accord. Walker could dully hear his ring saying, _"Warning: incoming hostile, take evasive maneuvers."_ Despite his vision blurring, he could still see Brother Warth, who called out Walker's name while dodging an energy blast. However a second attack struck Warth's head and he ceased to move. The last thing Saint Walker saw before he black out was a tall figure in a space suit approach them.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!" "I'm going to murder that clock," thought Karen Cassidy. Her alarm was blasting in her ear at the horrid hour of seven. Refusing to open her eyes, she reached toward her clock trying to break it despite her barely being awake. She smashed her palm against the clock's buttons and it must have worked since the alarm went silent. She let herself slowly sink back into blissful sleep. An alarm clock could never wake her, not entirely anyway. She thought about how her day would play out, full of the same mediocre practices of a normal life and jumping through hoops to pass high school. She hadn't cared much for the mundane practices of learning about how to use mathematics to solve problems that would never actually appear in real life, but as her mother said, "You have to go through Hell to appreciate the things worth living for." Suddenly Karen's actual alarm kicked in, her brother. Every morning, Calvin Cassidy would rise bright an early and play his guitar, it didn't help that the only thing separating their rooms was a thin wall that did nothing to muffle the sound or that he liked to turn the volume on his amplifiers as high as possible at such a fine hour. He would play loud enough that books would fall of selves downstairs, but their parents did nothing, saying how it was nice for him to seek a musical career. Karen rolled around on her mattress dreading the day her brother discovered music, and fell off her bed with a dull thud, pulling the sheets with her. Still with her eyes still shut, she laid sprawled on the floor which was now shaking thanks to Calvin's "musical career". Blindly, she reached for the closest thing she could get her hands on. She found a hardcover book that felt heavy in her hand, perfect. She threw it in the direction of the wall that divided their rooms but the book bounced back and painfully landed on her in the stomach. "Calvin!" she shouted, "I'm going to break that damn

"Then say good bye to your ride!" he shouted back. Curse the people who thought someone like Calvin was a responsible driver. She finally rose, placing the sheets back on the bed and opened her curtains. The sun blasted her in the eyes, blinding her with the beautiful day. "It's a perfect day and I get to spend it inside, what a wonderful way to start school," she thought in her usual early morning sarcasm. Calvin then stuck his head through the door, "Come on Sis, get a move on!"

Fifteen minutes later, the siblings were out the door and off to school. The two rode in a beat up lime green Volkswagen titled the Rust Bucket which their father had bought at a cheap price off one of his friends from college. The car smelled like something out of this world, a mixture of strange and powerful scents that their father had seemed all too familiar with. There were many stains on the floor and seats that were probably from things neither of the two wanted to know, the gas needle would jump around whenever the engine was running, if they got up past twenty-five, the car would rattle side to side and the left side mirror would bounce on the duct tape that held it in place. Whenever the horn sounded it sounded like the car itself was dying, and the radio could only get a station that played 1920's jazz. Despite the car's shortcomings it was a great source of pride for Calvin, almost to the point of bragging about the car's shabby qualities to everyone who showed more than a passing interest.

"Someday you're going to find that guitar of yours broken over something hard," said Karen after she took a sip from her coffee, she hadn't fully awakened yet and was still angry at her brother. He knew how much she hated waking up though she suspected he used his practicing to get her out the door; he would often use cheap tricks like that to hurry her along.

"Stephen King said he would lock himself in a room and wouldn't leave until he had written a thousand words."

"The big difference though is that he actually knew what he was doing." replied Karen. Calvin didn't object to this, he wasn't very good, but if he wouldn't let Karen score a low blow like that.

"You know what sis? You're right; in my failed attempt at playing music, I shall swear off my guitar and stop playing altogether. But if you take too long, you're walking to school. Have fun with that."

"Har har har" said Karen as the Rust Bucket entered the school parking lot.

While the siblings walked across the parking lot, they spotted someone familiar. Karen shouted, "Hey Alice!" Alice Waller had been the "third sibling" of the Cassidy family, her father had served with their mother when she was in the army and had become good friends of the family. Alice was walking slowly towards school, weighed down with a backpack bursting at the seams with books. Despite her general dislike of conflict, her father had taught her martial arts since she could walk and would wipe the floor with the Cassidys whenever they got into fights in elementary school. She didn't seriously hurt them, but teachers were always hesitant to intervene after Alice had accidentally broken two of her 1st grade teacher's fingers, something she was not at all proud of.

"Hi guys" she said quietly. Karen eyed the bulging bag of books "Whatcha reading this week?" she asked. "I picked up a few books on mysticism; I heard cults have been forming around a form of blood magic and I wanted to see if it was possible." If it had been anyone else, Karen and Calvin would have been taken aback, but they knew better. If there was anything worth knowing, chances were Alice would have already read about it, she was compulsively trying to learn more and more and sometimes she would seem to take it a little too far. One incident involved her coming into 8th grade with a copy of every single banned book in the state simply to find out what the school thought was controversial. While she was definitely the brightest of the three, she could come off as a tad arrogant. "I've read up on some of this stuff, it's usually just a trick of the eye, some chemicals used to make smoke and scam people out of some pocket money."

"You say it like it's a bad thing," said Calvin, "You can make a good living off of pocket change."

Karen stared at her brother with a snide look on her face, "Well aren't you noble."

"Hey, if people want to give me money, that's their own decision. There's a sucker born every minute after all."Alice and Karen stared at Calvin in surprise and a bit of disgust. "Don't judge me," he said. The trio remained silent as they walked into the school.

Slowly, Saint Walker's vision returned. He was onboard a small dark cramped space ship. The atmosphere was cold and dry; the engines bellowed a loud electronic hum. Walker realized he was lying on the floor in front of a wall of weapons ranging from swords to laser-rifles to battle axes, all of which had been cleaned, but the color of blood was still prominent. To his right was Brother Walker who was still unconscious, and his ring was gone. Walker looked to his right hand and saw that his ring was missing too and that he had shackles around his wrists. He flimsily pulled on them in a vain attempt to free himself which only served to rattle the thick rusty chains that bound him. Suddenly he heard approaching footsteps, clanging heavily against the metal floor.

As the clanging grew louder, a tall large figure approached from the shadows of the ship and crouched to Walker's eye level, "I have met many Green Lanterns in my time, powerful and terrifying. I have learned the hard way that one can never underestimate a Lantern's size or appearance. I must congratulate you; a Blue Lanterns is something I was not expecting." The person before Walker was a red skinned alien with burning red eyes and wearing amour coated with dried blood and adorned with skulls and spikes, and two large swords were sheathed upon his back. Staring at his scar covered face, Walker noticed the figure's large sharp teeth which were yellow and rotten. His breath was just as pleasant; it was so awful he thought he would pass out.

Saint Walker was only able to utter a few words, "Who…who…who are…" "Oh forgive my informality, I am Bolphunga the Unrelenting. I am a warrior on some worlds, a mercenary on others, and in rare cases a barterer," Bolphunga, by the throat, pulled Walker closer. Walker saw that in his spare hand he held both his and Warth's rings. "I must say that these rings of yours are quite the oddity I have never seen anything like them, I bet they will fetch a pretty price in some markets. However it's not these two that interest me, but more the fact that I have never seen Lanterns chase the rings of their corps. Now tell me, _Blue_ Lantern, where is that ring traveling?" _"Unnumbered Blue Lantern ring is currently on course to Space Sector 2814, Planet Sol-3, commonly referred to as Earth."_ said Saint Walker's and Brother Warth's rings in unison. Bolphunga smiled as he saw Walker straining to try and control the rings from afar, something few Lanterns could accomplish. Yet Bolphunga kept a strong grip on them, underestimating any Lantern was foolish, "Next time, maybe you should reconsider making your ring so useful to anyone, blue man." _"Saint Walker"_ "Forgive me. Saint Walker. Tell me, what capabilities does your blue ring have?" _"Default Blue Lantern rings are programed for flight and protection from the vacuum of space."_ Bolphunga looked somewhat annoyed, "I figured as much but what offensive abilities?" _"None"_ was the response. "Nothing?" replied Bolphunga with a surprised look, "What is the purpose of your corps?" _"The Blue Lantern Corps exists to create hope in the darkest hours, to give courage to hearts lost in sorrow, to-"_ "I get the point, " said Bolphunga, "regardless of your mighty cause, the rarity of your rings is proof enough of some worth. And now, if you will excuse me Saint Walker, I have a ring to catch. Have a good sleep." Saint Walker saw Bolphunga's fist right before everything went black.

Karen, Calvin, and Alice sat at the same table in the crowded noisy lunch room, each of them engrossed in their own activities. Karen Cassidy was gorging on her lunch, having gone without breakfast and had felt its absence through the last three classes. Calvin Cassidy was reading the school's online blog on the works of student artists, writers, and musicians, reading up on what he had missed over the summer break. Meanwhile, Alice Waller was working on the calculus homework she was given last class. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," said Calvin with a face of disgust, "Martin North won some best young artist in the city competition. He got an award that unfairly says he's more talented than me."

"Who?" asked Karen through a mouthful of food.

"Martin North, the guitarist," said Calvin. Karen and Alice stared at him blankly. "The guy how constantly says he's better than me." Their expressions did not change. "I did nothing but complain about that smarmy little arse last year."

"Ooooh!" said Karen, also spitting some of her food on Calvin, "That guy!"

"Yes, him," replied Calvin, brushing mashed potato of his shirt, "How do you not know him?"

"Sorry, it's just whenever you go on a tangent; the two of us just nod in silence."

"You don't do that. Alice, you don't do that, do you?" Alice, not looking up from her work, quietly bobbed her head up and down. "You guys suck."

"Nuh-uh," was Karen's muffled response.

She was about to give her full retort when Calvin pointed his finger at her, "Eat first, then talk."

Suddenly the crowded cafeteria became shrouded in a bright blue light. The source of the blinding spectacle hung in the air above the crowd, as if taking a small moment to contemplate the choice it was about to make. The students directly below the light were forced to close their eyes or look away from its intensity. While the moment that it hovered was short, it felt so much longer, as if the alien presence had brought the very precession of time to a screeching halt. Eventually, the bright light subsided, allowing the people closest to the source to see what had caused the spectacle, a deeper than deep blue ring. Some people began to whisper to each other about what they were seeing, if it was some kind of illusion or possibly some bizzare prank, the chatter was silenced once again when the ring began to move. The ring darted down, weaving through the crowd. A few people tried to catch it but the ring evaded their grasp with little effort in changing its course. Finally, it found its target, Karen Cassidy. The ring hovered in front of Karen's face, about a foot away, shining its brilliance upon her bewildered expression. Everyone was silent staring just like her at the thing from the heavens, not knowing what it would do. "Wha-," before she could say anything, the ring slid itself onto her right middle finger. _"Karen Cassidy of Space Sector 2814, you have the ability to instill great hope. Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps."_

She felt a surge of optimism and joy, as if all her problems had shrunken into insignificance, she felt the presence of every human on the planet, all their problems, all their regrets, all their broken promises and lies, but also all their hopes and dreams, every piece of good from the entire human race summed up into a single experience, she shed a tear, it was beautiful; she felt light, as if she was barely touching the ground, as if a gust of wind could blow her away like a leaf. Her clothes became a black and blue outfit, leaving a white circle on her chest. The outfit was made of a spandex-like material that fitted her perfectly; it did not sag or prevent her from moving. The black areas of the outfit were smooth and cold like ice while the blue was soft and warm like a blanket. Finally, she managed to speak, "Wha-, wha jus-" _"You are now a potential member of the Blue Lantern Corps,"_ said the ring,_ "an interplanetary peacekeeping group that exists to create hope in the darkest hours, to give courage to hearts lost in sorrow, to stare into the face of despair and know that all will be well. To serve is a great honor. This duty, should you choose to accept it, shall be entitled to you when you report to Odym."_ "What's O-" "_The homeworld of the Blue Lantern Corps which currently revolves around what you planet knows as 'The North Star' you may also know it as-"_

"Karen! Since when were you a superhero?" said someone in the crowd that began to gather around her, a barrage of questions soon followed. "What's your power?" "Can you fly?" "Do you know Superman?" "Who have you fought?" "Are you with those guys with the U.N.?" "You costume looks like Green Lantern, but it's blue. What does that mean?" "Are you Green Lantern's sidekick?" "Do you know the cute Lantern with the big mask?" "So are you with the U.N. Justice League?" "I heard Green Lantern stopped a bridge from collapsing, how'd he do that?" The crowd kept rambling on, endlessly asking questions and taking pictures on their cellphones. Karen tried to shove people away but they were pushed back by the people in the back who were in the back, trying to get closer. She was swung back and forth by the conflicting masses, trying not to fall and possibly be crushed by the swarm. The sounds of their questions and comments became deafening as Karen couldn't even hear her brother trying to calm everyone down.

Crack! Suddenly, the mass of questions was finally silenced by an ear splitting sound as parts of the ceiling fell directly on the table Karen was sitting at. Immediately the people backed away from Karen's table as a giant boot opened up a hole in the roof. A hulking figure stuck his head in through the ceiling and dropped through the opening. The intruder bent his legs during the fall and landed on the table, causing the legs to give way and break. Slowly standing up, the figure looked directly at Karen through the obscuring dust from the broken roof. The only defined features Karen could make out through the dust were the two Blue Lantern rings hanging on a string around his neck. "Forgive my intrusion," spoke the intruder as he drew one of the swords on his back, "I am Bolphunga, the Unrelenting; your membership must be cut loose young Lantern. Now, Hand me your ring, child, or lose the hand attached to it."

Saint Walker's head was still ringing from being knocked out the second time, as he slowly regained consciousness; he was welcomed back by the realization that he was still a prisoner on Bolphunga's ship. His shackles had dug deep into his wrists and….wait…where had Bolphunga gone? He pulled at his restraints, digging them in even deeper; he gave up since he knew it was fruitless. Brother Warth began stir, "Brother Warth," said Walker, "Are you alright?"

"I am fine," was the reply albeit groggy, "Have we stopped?" "Yes, I believe Bolphunga has made it to Earth," said Saint Walker, he paused; somehow Brother Warth was able to speak his language without the translator in his ring. "His absence would imply he is looking for or has found our recruit," said Warth.

"Ye-yes," stuttered Walker, taken aback by Warth's continued use of Astonian, "We need to get out of these restraints befor-" Brother Warth broke the shackle around his right hand, followed shortly by the second, and the he stood. "Oh," said Walker, even more surprised, "that simplifies things."

Shortly after, Saint Walker was freed as well and the two began to inspect the rest of the ship. The ship was small, clearly meant to home one or two people. While the weapons had been well maintained, the ship itself had not. The ship's bathroom in particular had a rank smell and both the Lanterns decided it best to leave it alone. When Walker inspected the cockpit, he found what appeared to be the ship's onboard computer with read-outs in a language who couldn't understand. Brother Warth approached the computer and began to read the alien letters. "According to this, we are approximately two hundred and thirty six feet above our rogue Blue Lantern ring which is inside some kind of educational adolescent nursery, interesting." Warth pressed a button which caused a shield that black out the windshield to dissipate. Instantly the two were blinded by sunlight that poured into the cockpit. "I would say we are on Earth," said Walker. When he could see again, Warth turned back to the readout, "Bolphunga's down there as well and he has our rings," the last sentence was said with particular distain.

"We will deal with Bolphunga," replied Walker, "but without our rings, we can't get down."

Warth turned his gaze back towards the console, "I think I have a solution."

With a loud "swoom" Bolphunga's sword swung by Karen's head, missing by a few inches and imbedding itself into a nearby wall. _"Do not fear, all will be well,"_ the ring said. "You 'huff' keep saying 'huff' that but it isn't 'huff' helping," replied Karen. She turned right down a hall, running with Bolphunga right behind her. "Give me your ring!" he shouted. _"Negative, you must report to Odym," _said the ring. The metal club in Bolphunga's left hand crashed to the floor in a deafening thud that shook the whole building.

"If he stays here it won't be long before he takes down the whole building!" thought Karen, "I need to get him out of the school." Karen barely dodged the sword which sliced through the metal lockers along the hallway, taking some of her hair with it. "Though I might not be able to make it that far," she thought. "Ring!" she said, "You're a Gre-Blue Lantern ring. Do something!" Karen was flung down the hall, escaping from the blunt of Bolphunga's club but flying sideways into the door of the chemistry lab at the end of the hallway. "Ow," said Karen as she began to float aimlessly around the door. "Oh crap!" she flew out of the way of Bolphunga, who ran the door through, ripping it off its hinges and charging into the classroom.

"It will take more than that to save you," he shouted, smashing the doorframe when he turned around. He ran out, leaving a very surprised and confused chemistry class.

"Ok," said Karen, "so I have flight. Flight is good. Any other powers you decided not to mention, and if you say, I didn-" _"You didn't ask."_ Bolphunga's club returned, smashing a gaping hole in another wall. While still new to flying, Karen managed to keep a safe distance from the alien but close enough so he would continue following her. "List of Blue Lantern powers, now." _"Blue Lantern rings are capable of flight, translation, data scanning, creating emotional tethers among Blue Lanterns, construct projection, emotional displacement, remote access to electronics..."_ "Scanning and electronics, I can work with that. Locate everyone in the school and find a path out of the school that passes the fewest people." The ring created a small model of the school. A bright blue light showed a path that would take out to the football field and only have to pass a few rooms with classes in session. "Perfect," said Karen, "Now get me onto the school speaker system." Karen heard some feedback from the speakers in the ceilings. "Everyone listen," she said into her ring trying to somewhat sound like a school official, "you all need to stay inside your classroom until an all clear is given." She told the ring to take her off the speaker system and flew down a hall to her right. _"You have sixteen new text messages."_ "Kind of have more important things to deal with, ring." Karen dashed ahead, Bolphunga not far behind.

Calvin Cassidy was sitting in his own end of the cafeteria, away from everyone else, still trying to take in what had happened. His sister had been attacked and there hadn't been a thing he could have done. Calvin had always thought he had looked out for her; it was his job as a brother. Now she had been attacked by some giant gladiator…thing. Something as insane as this made him feel out of control and powerless. His sister could be dead for all he knew and what was he doing? Nothing, pathetic.

"So Calvin, since when was your sister a superhero?" asked Mitchell. Mitchell was one of the writers for the school newspaper, Calvin had never liked him much, he was one of those people who always sounded nosy and snobbish.

"What?" asked Calvin.

"Your sister's a superhero, right?"

"I...I guess."

"So, care to say anything for the presses?" Calvin noticed how Mitchell's phone was recording him.

"I think I'd prefer just to be left alone."

"Oh come on," said Mitchell, "Your sister's a Blue Lantern, whatever that is. Could really use some details here Cal. Actually, what do Blue Lanterns do, and why is Karen one? As a matter of fact, wh-"

"Mitchell!" shouted Alice. Mitchell almost jumped as she had seemed to appear out of nowhere, but Alice's hand forced him back down into his seat. "I think you should give Calvin some space, he's going through a lot."

"But I…I…I…" Calvin noticed how Alice's fingers were digging into Mitchell's shoulder. "I…think….I might be needed elsewhere."

Mitchell stood and quickly walked away, holding his shoulder. "Thanks," said Calving.

Alice sat down next to him, "No problem," she said. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. "It's hard to give any words of comfort. To be honest I don't think anyone really knows what just happened."

"Yeah," replied Calvin, slumping over the table.

"My sister joins some Green Lantern impersonators and is attacked by an alien, what the hell's to say?" He stared at the table. "I would call the cops or something but I'm pretty sure they've already told everyone on the face of the earth." Calvin pointed to the group of teenagers at the other end of the cafeteria quite a few of which were on their cellphones. "I've always thought I've been there for my little sis but this… What's to do?"

Suddenly a voice came onto the speaker system, it was Karen, "Everyone listen you all need to stay inside your classroom until an all clear is given." Karen's voice sounded confided and calm; there was something about it that gave Calvin a new sense of optimism. His sister was alive; she must have found some way to survive against whoever had fallen through the ceiling. All of a sudden his phone buzzed, he pulled it out and saw that he had a message. He didn't bother reading who it was from and opened it, reading, "Dude! Your sis is fighting some alien guy on the football field!" Calvin jumped up; everyone including Alice stared at him in surprise. "Alice," he said, "Come on, we're going to save my sister."

"I am tired of chasing pathetic Earth Lanterns!" shouted Bolphunga, "give me your ring."

_"Negative, you must report to Odym,"_ said the Blue Lantern ring. "It would be nice if you could help me! Try making a giant blue fist or a fly swatter or…something!" Bolphunga began to run directly at Karen, holding his club over his head, he let out a thunderous roar. Karen shot up into the sky out of the way of the club which left a hole in the soft plastic and rubber gravel ground of the football field. Karen suspended herself forty feet above Bolphunga. "You're the Blue Lantern ring, why don't you help me? Hit him!" asked Karen. _"This ring is not programmed to create constructs."_ "What?" _"Blue Lantern rings cannot forge light constructs unless within nearby vicinity of a Green Lantern or a powerful source of hope."_ "You could have mentioned that earlier." _"You did not ask."_ "Gah!" _"In addition, you have forty three new text messages."_ "Why won't you do anything useful?"

"I grow tired of your quarrels with that ring, hand it over," said Bolphunga from the ground.

_"Negative, you must report to Od-"_ "Shut up! Just shut up!" shouted Karen, she was beginning to tear up. "I didn't ask for any of this, I didn't want any of this. This damn ring falls out of the sky and tells me I'm some superhero, I'm chased by a rampaging alien monster…thing. Why does all this have to happen to me?" Tears started to run down her face as she slowly sank back down to the ground. Bolphunga was walking towards her with the club in his hand and a self-satisfied smile on his face, but Karen didn't care. "I'm nothing special, I'm just-" _"Incorrect," _said her ring. "What?" she replied weakly. _"This ring was programmed to seek out someone with the potential to instill great hope. Out of all of the universe you have been deemed worthy."_ "Me? Why?" _"You are the one who can overcome the ultimate despair."_ "What ultimate…"

"You are brave girl, I will give you that," Bolphunga's hand clasped her by the throat and hoisted her into the air, bringing her level to Bolphunga's eyes, "but I have already exhausted all of my patience. Hand me your ring or…" _"You have seventy nine new text messages._" "And why does your ring keep doing tha-"

Bolphunga fell silent as he heard something behind him, the sound of a creaking engine. Karen heard it as well; even from a distance she couldn't mistake that rusty sound. Bolphunga turned around and spotted something approaching rapidly, kicking up dirt and the ground up rubber turf of the field, "what in the name of the Star King is that?" It was the Rust Bucket.

A figure rose out of the passenger window, "Faster Alice!" shouted Calvin, swinging his guitar over his head. Bolphunga stated, confused, at the approaching vehicle,

"This planet continues to confuse and annoy me," he said. Throwing Karen to the ground, he turned toward the approaching car, sword in hand.

"I hate to point out the insanity of your plan, Cal," said Alice, "but I noticed how gigantor has a sword."

"Just let get me close," replied Calvin, half out the window and only hanging on by the grab handle. "Listen up ugly!" he shouted, "you mess with my family, you mess with me! Alice, ramming speed!"

"You're insaaaaaane!" she shouted.

"Your friends have valor," said Bolphunga, "or they are incredibly stupid. Ah, to be young." His sword drawn, he stuck his foot out. When the car rammed him, Bolphunga's spiked boot engraved itself in the hood he managed to stop the car. Calvin was thrown out the passenger window and hit ground with a painful smack, still holding onto his guitar, while Alice was pinned between her seat and the air bag. The back reared up as the Rust Bucket's wheels spun in place. Bolphunga's sword then pierced the hood of the bug, going through the bottom of the car and deep into the field's turf. The Rust Bucket sputtered and died, oil leaked from the car like blood. "Well, that's taken care off," said Bolphunga, pulling Calvin off the ground by his collar, "Now you. I've been having a bit of a day and I-"

"AAAAAAA!" Calvin smashed his guitar into Bolphunga's face.

The guitar shattered, the splinters went flying, leaving Calvin clutching only the neck. Bolphunga, unphased but now much angrier, continued to talk, "and I think I'm going to stomp you into the ground now."

Calvin stared blankly into Bolphunga's eyes, "I…I…I-"

Bolphunga threw him down, "next time, it will take something more than pathetic, outdated, piece of garbage to stop me-"

Suddenly, Bolphunga's ship crashed into him, missing Calvin, and knocking Bolphunga across the field. Everyone was struck dumb by what has just happened, gazing vacantly at the smoking vessel. The door of the newly crashed spaceship opened up. A white, fish looking alien climbed out followed by some kind of elephant-man dressed in robes. The fish alien spoke to Karen, "I am sorry," he said, "for the frightening things you must have had at the hands of that monster. My name is Saint Walker, this is Brother Warth may we have the honor of welcoming you to the Blue Lan-"

The back of Bolphunga's forearm knocked them both into the hull of his ship, rendering them unconscious, "I have lost my patience on you foolish peacemakers!" Bolphunga drew his other sword and held it over the two lanterns, "Now-"

"STOP!" yelled someone. Bolphunga turned in surprise to where the shout had come from, the girl lying on the ground. Karen, terrified, slowly stood. Her knees were trembling with fear, she was breathing intensely, not really thinking of what to say. So she said whatever came to her first, "I didn't ask for any of this, I didn't want any of this…this…this responsibility...whatever it is. But you….you come here, you attack me, you chase me, you threaten my brother," she raised a quivering arm and pointed towards the school, "and endanger all those people. Who the hell do you think you are?"

Bolphunga's surprised stare quickly turned into a bellowing laughter, "Bwahahahaha! Who am I?" he asked, wiping away a faint tear, "I am Bolphunga the Unrelenting, I am one of the mightiest warriors in the universe! There is not fighter I cannot beat! Green Lanterns run at the utterance of my name, and you are hardly a Green Lantern, child." Karen raised her ring, now glowing bright blue, pointing it at Bolphunga. "I think you'll find that ring to hardly be a weapon, what is there to do? Hope that I'll submit?"

Karen smiled, "Not exactly, But I've been getting quite a few text messages lately and I finally started reading them. They're from my classmates, and they're cheering someone they call 'Teen Lantern' on. I may not be a hero, but they sure think I am." "

Your point?" he asked.

"My ring is powered by hope genius," replied Karen. _"Auxiliary hope source accepted, ring capacity at 2%."_

Bolphunga stared at Karen, "What are you getting at?"

Bolphunga found his arms forced his arms forced to his sides by a rope made of blue light and wrapped around most of his body. The other end, Karen held in her hand, "Have anything to say?"

Bolphunga laughed at her, "You think your weak little ring can actually-" Karen swung Bolphunga over her head and slammed him into the other end of the field with a loud wham! Then she slammed him into the other end, wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Bolphunga now found himself lying face down on the ground. Karen looked him with her arms crossed, "How about now?"

Bolphunga, quickly picked himself up, he didn't even look bruised. "You know, there is a reason Green Lanterns are scared of me," he said, brushing himself off, "I think it's time you learned why." Karen held ring arm out, ready to fight. _"Auxiliary hope source expended, ring capacity at 0%."_ Karen's face was stark terror as she held the ring to her face, "What!" Bolphunga then knocked her to the ground. His foot pinning her down, "It is time you learned that there is no escaping this, your ring will belong to me!" The boot on Karen's chest started to press down. Karen screamed as she felt several of her ribs snap like twigs. Bolphunga smiled sinisterly, "Oh, I am going to enjoy this," his eyes burned bright red.

"You're angry, really angry. I can see it. You're giving off this red aura made of rage, just like me." Bolphunga stared at the girl under his boot, "What are you getting at?"

"Next time, don't wear a Blue Lantern ring around your neck without glancing at the manual," said Karen. _"Searching for emotional connection, rage found. Connecting emotional tether. Connected." _"Emotional ghaaa!" he roared as his emotions were filtered out of him. Instantly, the rage of Karen Cassidy and Bolphunga swirled into each other. She saw herself as a little girl being bullied by her brother, she saw a small boy without a family, she was lying on the ground with a broken foot, he was fighting in a gladiatorial arena, he was maiming, killing. They both hated the same things, they had the same rage. Their eyes glowed as burning red energy linked their minds together. Bolphunga fell over in pain, reliving all the worst moments of his life, all the things he hated, even the things about himself, all those years fighting, fighting, fighting for a prize that would never be won back. Karen felt it too, all the pain he had suffered; it was so much that she could barely stand. Slowly, tears pouring down her face, she trudged toward that alien.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "I'm so, so sorry." She held out her hand toward Bolphunga, "All…will…be…we-"

"Shut up!" yelled Bolphunga, ripping off the Blue Lantern rings around his neck. The emotional link broke; the energy vanished into thin air. "You have no idea how much I have suffered. You think you can simply consult me about something you know nothing of?"

"I…I…"

"You do not know the way of a warrior like me. What do you know?"

"I know how much you've suffered. I've seen everything that ever fueled your rage. " replied Karen, clenching her head in pain, "I know about the vow you made, the one bond in blood, how your family's spirits must writhe in you attacking a child. " Bolphunga stared at her, almost weakened by what she had said, Karen could have sworn at one point see saw fear in him.

Bolphunga's face quickly turned to contempt, "I've had enough of you Lanterns," he said, "Peacemakers are not worthy sport for battle, regardless of fortune." Bolphunga backed away from Karen and started walking towards his ship, "That's it?" he heard.

Bolphunga turned around and saw Alice glaring at him, a bruise on her forehead from when Bolphunga had stopped the car. "You show up, attack people and then just leave?" Bolphunga smiled, "yes."

He shoved her to the ground and kept walking. He approached the Rust Bucket and pulled his sword out from the car, now covered in oil and grease, he stared at it with a bit of disgust and placed it back in its hilt and continued onward. He had one foot in his ship when he looked back to Karen, "One last thing child Lantern." His eyes were burning bright, "If you ever mention my vow or my family. I will kill you." He climbed inside his ship, closed the door with a loud metallic thud and the ship shortly after flew off towards the skies; Karen, Calvin, and Alice watched as the ship vanished out of sight.

Calvin turned to his sister, "Well sis, you're going to have to explain this to Mom and Dad." "Alright," she said, still holding her head but smiling, "You explain what happened to the car." Calvin eyed the smoking remains of the Rust Bucket, now with a new boot imprint on the hood and a destroyed engine. "Have fun with that," replied Karen, "Ow, ow, head still hurts."

"Hate to interrupt, but what about what about those two?" asked Alice, pointing at Saint Walker and Brother Warth who were now coming around.

"Is it just me, or is unconsciousness becoming our motif?" asked Warth.

"Hopefully not," said Saint Walker, turning to Karen. "I humbly apologize for all the misfortunes you must have come upon at the hands of that…hunter."

"Heh," said Karen, "I think I managed alright. I take it those are yours?" Karen pointed to the two Blue Lantern rings lying on the ground.

"Yes," Saint Walker, picking the rings off the ground and placing his back on his finger. When he did, it let off a spark, "Ow! My ring is telling me that you somehow managed to connect Bolphunga's rage with your own. I didn't know our rings could do that." _"Your ring is incapable of creating emotional tethers, this ring is only able because of you own design."_ "But I never I created the ring to do that." _"Then it would appear this ability to be an unintentional result of your…amateur programing skills." _"Ms. Cassidy," said Walker, "I think it is best you refrain from using an "emotional tether" until I can further study it, especially considering that it seemed to syphon some of his rage onto you."

"Don't worry, you don't need to ask me," replied Karen, holding her head, "Ugh, I think I got a bit more than I bargained for...I said something about an oath, but now I can't remember, it's like how dreams fade away once you're awake. Ah!" Karen felt her stomach moving as her broken ribs were mended by themselves.

"Do not fear, your ring allows you to heal much faster than normal," Saint Walker said with a light-hearted smile. Suddenly his ring glowed bright blue, "I must say I am impressed with how you managed Bolphunga. I think you would certainly make an excellent addition to the Blue Lantern Corps."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," said Calvin stepping in between Karen and Walker, "Are you serious? You almost got my sister killed dealing with some nut job that not even you could handle. You're the guys who fought those zombies that attacked Coast City a few years ago. You can't honestly-"

"Um, Calvin?" said Karen. "I think that's my decision."

"Might I remind you, YOU WERE ATTACKED BY CRAZY GLADIATOR ALIEN MAN!"

"He makes a point with his crazy gladiator alien man position," said Alice. "and you let him get away!" continued Calvin, pointing towards the small speck that was now Bolphunga's ship.

"Do not fret," said Brother Warth, "Once he leaves the atmosphere, Bolphunga will notice, too late, that his ship is programmed to hyper-jump directly to Oa." Warth laughed to himself. Alice and Karen stared at him at surprised at Warth's somewhat vindictive nature. "What? Even a peacemaker is entitled to hold a grudge." The two continued to stare at him with surprise and a bit of disgust. Warth frowned, "Don't judge me."

Their conversation was cut short by the sounds of police and medical officials approaching the field, followed by television reporters and a crowd students and teachers. "I think we should talk this over with my parents. That and I don't want to deal with crowds again," Karen said to Walker and Warth, "Follow me." Karen grabbed Calvin and Alice by the back of their shirts and took off towards home, "I can't wait to explain this one to Mom and Dad."

"Could be worse, your ring could be powered by angst," said Alice. "Who in their right mind would actually make a ring that does that?" "You would be surprised what powers some rings," said Walker, as the group flew away from the impending crowd.

The smell of salmon as it roasted on a skillet brought back so many memories for Ryan Cassidy. It reminded him of his childhood, fishing off the coast of New England. He remembered back when he used to break into the privately owned beachheads of probable millionaires with a hook and line in hand. He knew he could likely find the same fish anywhere else, but there was a certain satisfaction in sticking it to rich snobs. Even has he grown old, the fun of defying authority always had the taste of self-satisfaction. The scent brought back memories of his wedding day, when he had salmon as the main course. It was a smell that always reminded him of the happiest moments of his life and so he always felt content when cooking it. The aroma was an irresistible whiff of nostalgia; the amazing scent of sea salt tickled his brain. He was jolted back into the present when he heard the doorbell ring. He turned the burners off and put down the skillet, and dreadfully had to leave the comfort of his salmon. He opened the front door and saw his kids, Calvin and Karen, both smiling uncomfortably. He was mystified to how Karen was wearing what could only be described as blue and black full-body spandex. Then he saw the two people behind them. They were both wore similar blue and black suits as Karen but they were wearing monster costumes as well. The shorter looked like some kind of albino fish-man with a tentacle hanging from the back of his bald head and tiny black beady eyes. The taller one looked like an anthropomorphic elephant, with monk robes. "Uh hi dad," said Karen. "Hey kids, what's with the guys in costumes?" Karen and Calvin exchanged glances out of the corner of their eyes. "Yeah, heh, heh, costumes…" Karen stared back at her father. Calvin spoke up, "You probably should sit down first."


	2. A Few Unexpected Guests

**A Few Unexpected Guests**

The smell of salmon as it roasted on a skillet brought back many memories for Ryan Cassidy. It reminded him of his childhood, fishing off the coast of New England. He remembered back when he used to break into the privately owned beachheads with a hook and line in hand. He knew he could likely find the same fish anywhere else, but there was a certain satisfaction in sticking it to rich snobs. Even has he grown old, the fun of defying authority always had the taste of self-fulfillment. The scent brought back memories of his wedding day, when he had salmon as the main course. It was a smell that always reminded him of the happiest moments of his life and so he always felt content while cooking it. The aroma was an irresistible whiff of nostalgia; the amazing scent of sea salt tickled his brain. He was jolted back into the present when he heard the doorbell ring. He put down the skillet, turned off the burner, and dreadfully left the comfort of his salmon. He opened the front door and saw his children, Calvin and Karen, both smiling uncomfortably. He was mystified by how Karen was wearing what could only be described as blue and black full-body spandex with a white circle in the middle of the chest. Then he saw the two people behind them. They both had similar blue and black suits on top off what looked like monster costumes. The shorter looked like some kind of albino fish-man with a tentacle hanging from the back of his bald head and tiny black beady eyes. The taller one looked like an anthropomorphic elephant, his suit more resembling monk robes. "Hi Dad," said Karen uncomfortably. "Hey kids, what's with the guys in costumes?" Karen and Calvin exchanged glances out of the corner of their eyes. "Yeah, heh, heh, costumes…" said Karen. The person in the fish costume spoke up, "Mr. Cassidy, you probably should sit down first."

"Ring, Ring!" Olivia's cellphone rang and not at the best of times. She was going over what could very well be a new star cluster and wanted her peace as she worked in the observatory. Grudgingly, she reached into her pocket and found her phone, it was Ryan. "This is not the best time Ryan, I'm a bit occupied." "Olivia, you need to come home." She frowned; she hated being called in the middle of work and usually had her phone off, though today she had apparently forgotten. "Honey, I'm in the middle of work, can't you-" "No, you need to be here, right now." She noticed the urgency in his voice. Now she was worried. "Did something happen to kids?" "Well, yes and no, look, just drop what you're doing and head over here." "What is it?" "It will make things a lot easier if you-" "What is it?" she shouted. "Well…" while he sounded worried, Olivia couldn't help but notice a bit of laughter in his voice, "You're not going to believe this but…Karen is now a superhero…and we have aliens in the living room."

Even though they were in a different room, Calvin and Karen could still hear their mother on the phone shouting, "WHAT!" Their father held his phone out at arm's length as she continued, "THIS IS NOT ONE OF YOU BEST JOKES, RYAN!" "I'm serious!" he replied, placing the phone back to his ear, "There are two aliens sitting on the couch!" The siblings couldn't hear what their mother was saying but could tell none the less. "I'm not kidding…They're part of something called the Blue Lantern Corps and they've recruited Karen…. No, I am NOT drunk! …. Look, can you just get over hear so we can sort this thing out? … I'm sorry…I love you." Ryan Cassidy closed his phone and let out a sigh. He turned to the aliens who were waiting patiently on the sofa. To the left of the brown couch was a big red comfy chair that was occupied by Karen. Calvin, however, watched over the three who were seated, one hand on the chair and the other on the sofa, bent over and making side glances at the aliens. Ryan sat on the couch opposite them, laying his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together. "Ok…uh, Walker was it?" "Saint Walker and this is Brother Warth," replied the white fish creature. "Forgive me, Saint Walker can you explain to me what exactly it is you do?" "Certainly, Mr. Cassidy, we are members of the Blue Lantern Corps. It is our job to preserve peace and harmony throughout the universe, even if the universe itself sometimes rejects our ideals. Our numbers are few and as the unofficial new leader I have taken it upon myself to recruit new members, it seems your daughter has been deemed worthy." Ryan gave Walker a suspicious look, "Sorry if I think your story's a bit weird, but…it's weird." "You left out the part where we were attacked by Bolphunga," said Calvin. Karen groaned and placed her hand on her forehead, "Oh boy." "What's a Bolphunga?" asked their father. "He's a giant crazy alien gladiator man!" shouted Calvin, "And he tried to kill us! …with swords!" "Yes we did have that problem," said Walker, drumming his fingers on the arm of the sofa. "And he destroyed the car!" added Calvin. Karen gave her brother a frustrated look, "He didn't destroy the car; he just impaled it. Which was your own stupid fault might I add, and even then I sent him packing." Karen crossed her arms in satisfaction and smiled. Ryan however appeared rather cynical. "If it is of any consolation, your daughter did fare well against Bolphunga once she managed to get her ring to work," said Brother Warth, "If it had not been for her, then Saint Walker and I might not be alive right now." Calvin stared down at the alien in shock, "Are you insane? You almost got her killed. Ow!" Karen punched Calvin in the arm, "Don't you think I should have a say in this?" Calvin stood up straight and rubbed the spot where he had been hit. "Dad, I know this sounds dangerous, but you have to look at the bigger picture." Karen held out her right hand, a bright blue ring was on her middle finger. The ring shot out rays of light that engulfed the room, forming little blue spheres. Ryan could see galaxies and nebulas and stars, all slowly moving about the room, almost dancing in their own way. "Saint Walker and Brother Warth's corps can be counted on one hand, yet there are so many people out there. Billions upon billions of species, there are so many without hope, that are enslaved, that are impoverished, that are forced to live in fear. This is a chance for me to become part of something so much more. If they chose me out of everyone else in the universe, then I guess I must have done something right." Her father's seemed to be taken aback and was more mystified by the massive model of the universe inside his house. "Dad…" "I'm sorry, Karen. I'm sorry, it's just this is a bit much to take in at once. Mom's going to be here in a little while, so let's just wait till she gets home to go any farther."

Karen sighed as the projection dissipated. "Can I get you two anything?" Ryan asked the aliens. "If it is not too much to ask, I'd like to have something to drink," replied Saint Walker. "This way." Walker followed Ryan into the kitchen. The fish-looking alien stared around the room filled with foods he had never seen nor tasted and became entranced by the new surroundings. "It's strange, you visit so many worlds but you never think about the smaller things. For instance what is that?" Saint Walker pointed towards the salmon. "Um that…" replied Ryan, "That's nothing important." He hastily picked up his beloved salmon and threw it in the oven, slamming it shut. "I've got an idea! Let's get you some tea!" He grabbed the closest box of tea bags on a shelf and hastily prepared it for Walker. "If need not feel ashamed, even with an intergalactic database on my finger I can't cook very well," said Saint Walker with a smile. Ryan was slow to reply, "Um…yeah." Ryan's eyes drifted slowly back toward the oven, "Just wait a little bit and your tea should be ready. I'll be back." Ryan darted back into the living room and whispered into his daughter's ear, "Karen I have something to ask about Walker. His species didn't happen be like a bunch of fish-people right?" _"Incorrect,"_ replied Karen's ring, _"Saint Walker's species directly descended what would closest resemble Earth's multiple species of fish."_ "Guess so Dad, why?" "Oh nothing, just…curious." Ryan quickly returned to the kitchen. Brother Warth gave a confused look as Ryan left, "Your father seems rather odd," he said, stroking his trunk like a chin. Ryan stopped short of the entrance to the kitchen and walked in slowly, "So Walker, do you have a family?" "Yes," replied Walker, looking into his tea. Walker's voice seemed so odd; it was like he was hollow, like his voice was echoing inside an empty shell, "I did once. But that was long ago, so very long ago. They were all I had a one point." He took a sip from his tea; Ryan thought he saw a tear in Walker's tiny black eye. Walker sighed and continued, "But that was the past. I honor them now with my service to the Corps." Ryan interrupted, "I'm sorry, I didn't know. You don't have to-" "It's quite alright," said Saint Walker, "Sometimes I forget about them with everything I do." His ring formed a construct of four aliens similar to Walker. "The ring makes you see what you hope for the most, even if you don't want to. I like to think I've moved on, that as I leader I must look forward. Yet there they are. They died following me, even if some of them though I was a mad fool, they followed me." A few tears fell into Walker's tea. "Sometimes I wonder; will my corps do the same, be lead blindly to the end? What if I'm just some overly optimistic fool leading my friends to their deaths with a fruitless task?" "Hey," said Ryan, "I saw what you did in Coast City, a slim few against an entire army of monsters. Everything at stake, yet you stand your ground, that takes some gusto." Ryan patted Walker on the back, almost causing him to drop the mug of tea. "Hey, Mom's home!" shouted Calvin from the living room. "Time to explain this to Olivia, great," Ryan Cassidy smiled, "guess that's what I get for inviting aliens into the house. Come on Walker, all will be well."

While Olivia Cassidy did not originally take too well to the idea of extra-terrestrials being in her house, once she had been calmed down, explaining the concepts of alien peacemakers, traveling faster than the speed of light, the ability to fly on the power of hope, and the events that had transpired at school proved somewhat easier. Karen and Calvin had gone upstairs, Brother Warth had chosen to go with them, as to allow their parents and Saint Walker to talk. Olivia Cassidy now sat next to her husband, tea in hand, and discussed her daughter's future with Ryan and the fish alien. "I don't know, this is our little girl. I mean today she fought a giant alien monster…thing from outer space." "I am terribly sorry about that," said Saint Walker. "And not even you know what sort of dangers she could face out there in the universe." "It is a big place, and you both should realize that not everything can be anticipated." Ryan spoke up, "I know, this is crazy. This is definitely something they don't tell you to expect in raising a teenager. But her enthusiasm," he turned to his wife, "You saw it in eyes; she's excited, she wants to help people, to make the world a better place." Just looking at her, Ryan could tell Olivia still had her doubts, "And besides, in a way it's better our kid was chosen instead of someone else's." "Why?" asked Olivia. "We can ground her," replied Ryan. Olivia gave a short spurt of laughter, "I guess there isn't much of a choice anyway. Everyone else already thinks she's a superhero. You would not believe how many people called me on the drive here. Did you know that-" There was a knock on the door. All three of them stared at the door in confusion, wondering who it could possibly be. Olivia jumped up and ran to see who it was. Through the peephole, she was able to see a man in a black suit and tie but there was something odd about him. She turned on the porch lights, and instantly backed away from the peephole in shock. "Who is it?" asked Ryan. Olivia was dumb struck, "Wol…Wol…Wo." The person outside knocked again, "Mr. and Mrs. Cassidy, I am Agent Kelos, I'd like to talk to you about your daughter." Ryan looked through the peephole and his jaw dropped, "You have got to be kidding me."

"You know it would have been nice if that ring could have arrived anywhere else but a crowded room of people," said Calvin, he and Warth were sitting on Karen's bed as the parents and Walker talked downstairs. "I've got nothing but emails asking about you, and most of these people I don't even know." Calvin was on a laptop searching for any news of the fallout from what had happened at school. Karen on the other hand was creating a Lantern costume for herself and modeling it in a mirror. "As a keeper of the peace, I think it is best for people to know who I am; it helps create trust." "It's not like you have much of a choice anyway," retorted Calvin. "I am duly sorry if the Corps has caused any problems," said Brother Warth. "Don't worry about, I think I could get used to this whole superhero thing," replied Karen, looking at herself in the mirror. "That's funny, it's like you think Mom and Dad will actually agree to this," muttered Calvin. Karen ignored him, "Hmm…I wonder if I should have the gloves, gloves are cool." Warth gave an amused look, "You are determining your Blue Lantern uniform by if it looks cool?" "Hey," Karen pointed at Warth as the costume created a pair of pure white gloves. "If it's the right type of cool, people will want my help. I thought that was the whole point of being a Blue Lantern." "Fair enough," he said, smiling behind his trunk. Karen turned back to the mirror, observing the addition to her costume. "Actually, I don't think gloves will do. They're not my style." The gloves disappeared. "Hey ring, is there like a catalogue or something for costumes?" _"There is a database of all known Lanterns. It is possible to replicate a registered costume."_ "Really?" said Calvin, "You're going through a catalogue?" Karen gave him a snide look, "It'll save me some time. That and I'd like to know what my options are. Now let's see what we've got in stock. Ring, find me something stylish." With a snap of her fingers, Karen's costume radiated bright blue light that filled the room. When the light ceased, Calvin stared at his sister dumbstruck, "Call me crazy, but I don't think you're going to convince Mom and Dad if you're going to fly around dressed like that." "What's wrong with…gah! Ring! What kind of costume is this?" _"This is the standard uniform of the Star Sapphires."_ "Why is there no front?" _"Unknown"_ "Something tells me space isn't too big on subtly," commented Calvin covering his eyes, but smiling all the same. "I also wonder why that is their choice of wear," said Warth, also covering his eyes. "Change it back! Change it back!" Karen's costume returned to the standard Blue Lantern uniform. "Ring, I said something with style. What's wrong with you?" _"Blue Lantern rings are not programmed to understand style."_ "Augh," said Karen turning to Brother Warth,"Seriously, what sickos would fight evil dressed in something as nasty as that? Now I feel dirty. Is there really a whole corps like that?" "Regrettably yes," answered Brother Warth, "Fortunately none of our current members are so…lewd." _"The Star Sapphires function much like Blue Lanterns except their rings are powered by love."_ "Ring, that's not helping." "So the Lantern corps powered by love is run by space bimbos?" said Calvin, "Am I the only one creeped out by that?" Karen frowned, "The ring's been telling me about some of the other costumes other Lanterns wear, can't say they fare much better. Is dressing for perverted fetishes like a thing in space?" "Sometimes I wonder if that is the case," replied Brother Warth.

"Talk about disturbing. You know, I've been meaning to ask. Why don't I get a Blue Lantern logo?" Karen pointed to the white circle on her chest. "Oh yes, that. As a new recruit, you have yet to pass the trial of the Blue Lanterns." "A trial?" said Calvin looking up from his laptop. "It is nothing dangerous, I assure you. It is merely a test to prove who is worthy of the Corps. You are safe the entire time." "Then bring it on! If I can go one on one with Bolphunga, what's a little test going to do?" Warth smiled, "You're optimism is truly inspiring. Though I would not suggest you completely pass the trial off. Passing it is no simple matter; it's a main reason why our members are so few." Karen was about to reply when suddenly her face lit up with enthusiasm. "I've got it!' Once again, the ring engulfed the room in blue light and just as quickly subsided. "Well? What do you think?" Karen's costume now consisted of a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. "Not exactly what I would expect," said Calvin, "but at least it's practical." The shirt was mostly blue, with the white circle still on her chest, but outlined with black as well as a black trim and black portions to the sides below the arms. The jeans were almost entirely black aside from white streaks along the sides. Her shoes were mostly blue with white trim. "I must say it is unique among all the different corps," commented Brother Warth. "It's perfect!" said Karen, looking at it in the mirror, "it's casual and comfortable. It's much better than weirdo spandex, no offense." Brother Warth chuckled, "It's quite alright." Karen began to make dynamic poses in the mirror. Her smile gave the sign of approval, "Sweet! Blue Lantern Karen Cassidy reporting for duty, here to save the day with the power of hope!"

"Teen Lantern" Karen turned to her brother, "What?" "According to everyone else, your superhero name is Teen Lantern." Karen gave a look of both confusion and frustration, "Why Teen Lantern? It sounds belittling and even worse it makes me sound like a lame idea for a sidekick." "Wasn't my idea," said Calvin, "If you want to blame something, blame it on the internet because just about every email and news article I've read refers to you as Teen Lantern." "But…that's not fair!" "Sorry Sis, the people have spoken." Karen sighed, glaring at her reflection. "Trust me there are so many worse names out there," said Calvin, "On one of these superhero wikis, I've found people named Grifter and Deathblow. Now there is someone trying to compensate for something." Suddenly there was a knock on the door, "Karen, there's someone who would like to speak with you," said Saint Walker.

Karen walked down the stairs, but as soon as she saw what was in the living room she almost fell down them. "Wh…what is that?" she asked. "I am Agent Kelos from the..." "Bu…But." Calvin, following his sister down the stairs, interrupted her, "Agent wha!" he, unlike Karen, did fall down the stairs with numerous loud dull thumps. "I am sorry if my appearance is a tad shocking," said Agent Kelos, "I'm afraid it's the only one I have these days." Karen descended the rest of the stairs without a problem, but not taking her eyes away from the person sitting in the large red comfy chair. This was probably due to the fact that Agent Kelos had a dog like snout, large canines, long clawed hands and feet (he didn't have shoes), and was covered in fur. He also had a stylish black suit, white shirt, and tie. (Though fur was protruding from in between the buttons, cuffs, and pant legs) As he stood up to greet Karen, she saw he was eight feet tall at least. "You're a wol…wol…wol" "Werewolf I think is the term you are looking for though I prefer the term lycanthrope. It is a pleasure to meet you too Ms. Cassidy. "Oh," said Brother Warth as he walked down the stairs, "You're a shell-spirit, a man with the inner spirit of a beast!" Agent Kelos looked puzzled and a bit disgruntled, "I don't mean to sound as rude, but how does an alien know of "shell-spirits"?" "This isn't the only planet with them," replied Warth. "Interesting, anyway Ms. Cassidy, I must say I like the costume, very…practical." Karen's whole arm wobbled limply as Agent Kelos shook her hand. "Um, is your brother alright?" Kelos asked. Calvin, lying on his back and gazing up at the ceiling, gave a simple thumbs-up, "I'm ok." "Alright then, I think it's time we got down to business." Kelos motioned Karen to the couch where her parents sat. Karen slowly sat down, not taking her eyes off of the werewolf in the living room. "Ok then," said Kelos, sitting back in the large red comfy chair, "Ms. Cassidy is it alright if I call you Karen?" Still staring at him, Karen nodded. "Wait a minute," said Calvin, picking himself off the floor, "Are you like an agent of some secretive government organization that monitors the world's superheroes?" Kelos smiled a bit, "Yes my dear Calvin, I work for the nefarious secret department known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and we are secretly evil." While Warth chuckled, Calvin was not amused.

"Now, Karen, I have been instructed by my superiors to meet with you and…" He gave an annoyed groan, "Oh blast, I always forget this part. Bureaucrats are always trying to take the formalities out of everything." From his jacket, Agent Kelos pulled out a small stack of white cue cards and flipped through a few of them, "Ah here we go. I have been instructed to inform you that you are as of now listed as an adolescent superhuman by the FBI. The Bureau also wants me to tell you that we shall exempt you from criminal investigations involving your actions unless we deem it necessary, i.e. when we feel like it and we may call you in for any crime scene investigation that requires your field of knowledge." Kelos broke away from the cards, "I don't mean to sound rude but I only said it because it's on the cards, I doubt we actually will. Any collateral damage you cause, if it is either unintentional or absolutely necessary, shall be paid for by the Bureau." Again, Kelos broke away from the cards, "It's not because we like you running around shooting energy at monsters by the way it's that the boys in accounting say it's just cheaper than locking you lot up somewhere underground, understand that." He turned back to the cards, "All the damage you caused at your school will be covered by us, however I don't recommend going about destroying half a city or you will be cleaning it up with your college fund regardless. Also if you haven't noticed there are no television crews all over your lawn. That's because we think you would have wanted to talk this all over with your folks first…and it makes it easier for me to work. I am also instructed to tell you that while we are not allowed to support you flying around fighting monsters, we would like it if you could continue to do so. It gets the Department of Extranormal Operations' nickers in a twist. So we do appreciate any efforts you make in apprehending criminals and wish you the best of luck." Kelos put the cards back in his jacket. "And just about covers it." "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa," said Calvin, "You said that the FBI would pay for any damage. That wouldn't happen to include a guitar and a Volkswagen bug, would it?" Kelos chuckled, "Oh no my boy, as my superior said, "That's your own stupid fault." The Bureau only pays for the damage to the property of everyone else. So…um…better start saving those quarters, lad," Kelos patted him on the shoulder. Calvin glared at him with contempt. Kelos chuckled, "Well I'd best be off." Karen stopped Kelos as he was heading out the door, "Let me get this straight, the entire reason that you're here is to make sure I play nice and by the superhero handbook?" "Exactly," said Kelos, "That and if you don't, we already have quite a few crimes you've already committed, let's see…" Kelos pulled out a small notebook, flipping to the back, "You brought an interstellar weapon to your school, you damaged government property, and you fled from a crime scene." "Oh…" "Yes Karen, and if you don't play nice the FBI wouldn't mind throwing all of that at you." Karen and Calvin watched him as he walked out the door, toward a black sedan parked in front of their house. When he was half way there he stopped and turned around, "On a personal note, I do wish you the best of luck on your superhero adventuring," he shouted back, "have fun flying through space and all that!" Karen smiled, "Thanks!" she replied, closing the door.

Ryan and Olivia Cassidy, who had both sat in silence while Agent Kelos had given his speech called Karen to sit. "Well we talked it over," said Olivia, "and if you want to, you can go off and be a superhero." "Yes!" Karen jumped up with a great big smile on her face. "But…" said her father, "But we want you to tell us everything that happens when you go flying around." _"Power rings are programmed to record all of its owner's activities."_ Karen frowned at her ring, "You really need to start telling me these things, ring." Olivia continued, "Also you need to finish your homework and be home by midnight unless absolutely necessary." "Done and done!" Karen hugged both her parents, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She broke away from them and turned toward Walker and Warth, "I'll report to Odym for that trial on Saturday." "Why Saturday?" asked Saint Walker. "Because it's a school night." "Oh," replied Walker confused by this new part of Earth terminology, "…right, very well."

Saint Walker and Brother Warth watched Karen head upstairs before they showed themselves out the front door. "I certainly hope she's prepared for the trial," said Saint Walker. "So do I," replied Warth, "We will need someone like her if Sister Sercy's prophecies speak any truth." Walker shuttered, the two fell silent as they saw Calvin Cassidy walk outside to meet them on the lawn. "Hello Calvin, you seem to be taking all this well," said Walker. "Yeah," he replied, "I…I just wanted to ask you something." "Ask away." "It's just I want you to look out for my sister. She means well, but sometimes she can get in over her head and now with all this…I just worry is all and…" Walker saw many conflicting emotions in Calvin Cassidy, swirling and mixing together. He also saw glimpses of yellow, of fear, slowly growing within him. "Calvin," Walker put his hand on his shoulder, looking Calvin in the eye, "I promise you, my Corps and I will do everything in our power to keep your sister safe." Calvin gave a small smile, "Thanks." Walker smiled too, patting Calvin on the shoulder, "All will be well." The Blue Lanterns watched as Calvin walked up back into the house, shutting the door behind him. Walker in particular noticed that the spots of fear in Calvin had partially subsided. Brother Warth smiled cheerfully at Walker, also noticing the change. In the window, the two saw Ryan and Olivia Cassidy who were still sitting on their couch as they waved them good bye. The two turned away and looked up at the stars, "It's strange," said Saint Walker, "you visit so many worlds but you never think about the smaller things." The two held out their rings, shining a beautiful bright blue and flew upward into the night sky.


	3. Red and Blue Part 1

**Red and Blue (Part 1)**

Today was a good day, not that Karen Cassidy particularly noticed as she grudgingly trailed behind her brother. The morning sun beamed bright, the birds were just waking, and the suburban streets were completely barren save for a few passing cars. The tranquility brought such a peaceful state of mind, for Calvin Cassidy anyway. He walked down the sidewalk carefree, all the while whistling a happy tune that might have been something from the thirties if it wasn't horribly off-key. Karen groaned and took another sip of coffee, wondering if her ring could block out violent sonic attacks. If her brother 's cheerfulness had something to do with the sunny weather, she related to the grey clouds off in the distance. She might have actually appreciated the silent serenity if her morning hadn't started so bitterly. It's not that she wanted to be so grouchy and tired, but while Karen disliked the mornings, Calvin's methods for waking her turned distaste into seething hatred. She had woken up half an hour early with an earful of shrieking rush metal from Calvin's MP3, and had been informed that they were walking to school. It was Calvin's own stupid fault that the Rust Bucket had been totaled, not that he would admit it. So as Calvin walked with a gleeful smile, Karen glared at the back of his head. She clenched her Blue Lantern ring in one hand, and her metallic coffee thermos in the other.

Her mind gradually clearing, Karen stopped dead in her tracks with realization. "Wait a minute, I can flyyyy." She looked off into space, slowly putting the pieces together in her head.

She didn't think Calvin had heard her as he continued walking forward. A few seconds later, not turning around or stopping, he replied, "Eyup."

Karen frowned at the back of her brother's thick head. "I lost precious sleep ," she shouted.

Calvin stopped walking and spun around, facing his sister, "Well on the bright side, you're up right and early to enjoy this beautiful morning!" Calvin spread his arms wide, trying to take in the magnificence of the quiet suburban street. He ducked just in time to avoid Karen's coffee thermos flying towards him.

"Well I'm flying the rest of the way. Unlike you, I have a ride." Raising her right arm aloft, Karen's ring hummed with anticipation. Karen struck a heroic pose. Her legs straightened, her left arm bent at her side, and her ring was pulling her, ready to soar. Nothing happened. Karen gave a puzzled look and held the ring to her face. Again her arm aimed towards the heavens, prepared for lift off. Nothing. She examined it more closely.

Ding, Ding, Ding

Flicking it did no good. "Well this is annoying. Ring, care to explain?"

The dwindling blue light responded, _"Ring capacity is at 1%, basic capabilities are offline. Additional capabilities are offline. Artificial intelligence interface is online."_

"But you worked earlier," She pointed out.

"_Correct. Previous ring capacity was greater than 1%. Only the Artificial intelligence interface is functional at 1% capacity."_

She frowned, "You mean I have to charge you?"

"_Correct Lantern Cassidy, Blue Lantern Power Rings can be charged by using Blue Lantern Power Batteries which are stored inside a pocket dimension. Once withdrawn, Blue Lantern Rings are charged by being held next to the Battery and reciting the Blue Lantern oath."_

Karen sighed. She wasn't in the mood for any of this. "Well that's disappointing." She looked up at her brother who had continued walking. She picked up her thermos and stared at the tired face in the metal reflection. "Oh well, I guess it could be worse."

"That's right Sis, look on the bright side!" said Calvin Cassidy, returning to his wretched whistling. This proved a poor course of action since with his back turned, he did not escape the flying coffee thermos this time.

Several thousand miles overhead, Dex-Starr was on the prowl. Flying high above the Earth, he searched through the empty vacuum of space. His yellow cat eyes open for what his master had sent him for. Dex-Starr was one of the other (and more bizarre) denizens of Earth who had joined a Lantern corps. Unlike Karen, Dex-Starr had found himself a home with the Red Lanterns.

Their rings chose creatures with great rage in their hearts, victims of injustice, betrayal, and cruelty. They were given a chance at retribution, to punish the perverse scum of the universe in a raging hellfire, but at a price. To wield such power, the Red Lantern rings reduced their users to their bare animalistic nature. They were blinded by seething hatred, all else served only to enrage them further, something few ever lived to regret. In order for these poor lost souls to have their revenge, they had to give up their humanity and their obedience to the master of the Red Lanterns, Atrocitus, and serve as tools to his own means. This was something that didn't concern Dex-Starr as he as just a cat (an oddly blue one as well) and did not understand what he had lost.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye. Dex-Starr squinted to see the small light in the speckled darkness, but his cat eyes did not deceive him. What he saw was a tiny pulsating light of bluish purple or possibly purplish blue. It was difficult to decide and Dex-Starr didn't care. Though practically invisible to the naked eye, Dex-Starr's ring allowed him to see certain parts of the emotional spectrum. Flying over to the dime-sized speck of faint purple/blue energy Dex-Starr contacted his master.

Atrocitus' razor-toothed voice blared from the ring on the cat's tail. _"Dex-Starr, have you located the distortion in your sector?"_ He gave a small nod. _"I see. It's similar to that of the Indigo Tribe, and it's gradually expanding. Stay there and watch over it. Report back any significant changes." _He nodded again and the ring was silenced. Dex-Starr eyed the anomaly with suspicion as it continued to grow.


	4. Red and Blue Part 2

**Red and Blue (Part 2)**

Alice Waller held her brow as she was trying to believe what Karen and Calvin were telling her. "So you met a werewolf…that wears a suit…and works for the FBI." She looked at her friends with amusement and disbelief.

"Gee," said Calvin, stuffing a burger into his mouth. "When you put it like that it sounds absolutely silly." The trio once again sat in the cafeteria enjoying their lunch. However now there were people giving quick glances at Karen whenever they passed.

Alice continued to just stare at the two for a while until she finally responded, "For some reason that makes perfect sense now." Karen gave a surprised look. "You know after an angry red alien gives the school a few new doorways and digs up half of the football field with a spaceship."

Karen chuckled, "Yeah, I guess something like that tends to widen your expectations a bit." She looked over her shoulder at the hole in the ceiling. Fortunately repairs had begun, though the area was surrounded with yellow caution tape while school was in session. All in all, Karen had taken her new superhero status rather well; even if she was now Green Lantern's unofficial sidekick. The attention she had gained from the students and staff had been somewhat of a guilty pleasure especially the part about being showered with questions pertaining to outer space, aliens, and Lanterns. While her most common reply to theses inquiries was "I have absolutely no idea," the ring had been able to answer most of them (however this tended to stem even further questions.) Now most people who were asking her anything were astronomy nerds, superhero fans, and others of such ilk. Occasionally some of the people who had swarmed her before came to apologize but Karen was quick to forgive them.

Earlier today she had been taken out of her third period to meet with the principal and her guidance counselor. They told her that she could continue her "extracurricular activity" as long as it would not result in any further damage to the school. Karen had the feeling they had gotten a talking from Agent Kelos. It would explain why the principal had been so jittery.

Entering school, Karen had gotten a call from her father about a man from the Daily Planet who wanted an interview. She passed it up since she was busy running late to class. She should probably reschedule later. It was interesting that most people seemed to take her new identity without any massive astonishment or wonder. Some people were more interested in Calvin because of how he had shattered his guitar over Bolphunga's head. In fact she could have sworn some students were starting a fundraiser to buy him a new one. To be honest, Karen was a bit disappointed. Walker and Kelos had built up the aspect of being a hero so much that coming back to school felt so…boring. This is what superheroes do? Live out their trivial lives and only fight monsters on the off time? Talk about lame.

Suddenly Mitch appeared behind her, "Hey there hero, care to say a few things for the press?" While Karen smiled at the opportunity, both Calvin and Alice seemed to glare at Mitch with pure distain. Her brother in particular seemed to have a sudden tight grip on his plastic fork.

"Sure, why not?" Mitch led her away to an empty table to have their interview in privacy, but not without getting a look from Calvin that seemed to say, "I know where you live."

Sitting down, Mitch took out a notepad and pen and began. "So 'Teen Lantern,' what's it like to be a superhero?"

Karen paused for a bit. "I can't say it feels all that different, I get asked questions in the hall, a short talk with the principle. Not what I had expected."

Mitch was writing on his pad. "Were you expecting people would be astounded by your heroic identity?"

"Well no, but-" Mitch was scribbling things down before Karen had even responded. She leaned back and folded her arms, "but it's abnormal to say the least. I fought a giant red alien the other day and everyone seems passé about it."

He lit up a smile, "So would you say you want admiration?"

"What? No! I mean, I saved everyone in the school and I rescued Saint Walker and Brother Warth, but no one seems to care or be thankful. I guess I expected a few more thanks is all."

"Right." Mitch was transfixed on his notepad and muttering under his breath, he wasn't even looking up at her now. "So for those of us who don't know, what are your powers?"

"I am a Blue Lantern, _not_ a Green Lantern or a sidekick. I have been chosen out of everyone in all of space sector 2814 to be the emissary of hope and understanding."

Mitch looked puzzled. "So…what are your powers?"

This caused Karen to ponder, staring up at the ceiling. "Um…hope powers?" That didn't help. "I can fly, and…kind of see how people…feel. Oh! And toss around big ugly aliens on occasion." This seemed to satisfy the question.

"So now I'm curious," said Mitch. "The Blue Lanterns could pick anyone on Earth or a 'space sector' and yet they chose you. Is it too much to ask why?"

Karen paused. To be perfectly honest she hadn't the slightest clue why. Sure her ring had spoken some words of encouragement but she figured that had been because she was in the middle of a fight. Out of everyone on planet Earth why had it chosen her? Mitch was staring at her with anticipation for a reply. She stumbled over the words a bit, still thinking it out as she said it. "I…kind of…sort of…really don't know."

Mitch gave a nasty little smirk. "So, is it possible you were chosen by accident?"

Karen jerked back in her seat, "No, no, I'm sure they know what they're doing." She forced a smile.

"Well no offense Karen, but you're not what I'd call as saint. Like at all."

He had a point, why had she been chosen? Karen was teenager not Gandhi. She wasn't someone that Saint Walker would expect to spread love and tolerance. The only reason Walker would have thought otherwise because he didn't see the part where she whipped Bolphunga around like a ragdoll. In a way he was right. She really didn't fit the bill. Walker had said that her ring was an imperfect copy; it could have easily picked her by accident. "I'm…I'm sorry, but c-can we stop…for now?"

Mitch seemed disappointed, "Well sure I guess."

Karen left him to his writing and sat back down with Calvin and Alice. Calvin asked if Mitch had said anything to upset her. She said he hadn't. Karen stared at the bright blue ring in her hand. She slid the thing off and put it in her pocket, not letting the others see. She ate the rest of her lunch in silence.

A flash of light woke Dex-Starr. He found himself curled up into a ball, sleeping was much easier without any gravity. He didn't remember what he had dreamed about, only that there had been a large woman. He rarely dwindled on her. All that he had remembered of the person was that she was the only one to call him, "good kitty." He didn't really know what it meant but he liked the sound of it. "good kitty." Dex-Starr realized that he had fallen asleep whilst watching over the anomaly and became alert. His hair raised and tail waving has he inspected the anomaly again. The concentration of blue and purple energy had continued to grow and was now larger than him. Fortunately, it wouldn't pose a threat. He contacted Atro-

His ring spoke, _"Warning, incoming teleport."_

The light blazed purplish blue. Dex-Starr covered his eyes, accidentally clawing his face. When he opened his eyes, the anomaly was gone and in its place was that. Dex-Starr had never met one of these creatures yet he knew exactly what it was, a cold metallic monster. Its species laid waste to entire civilizations and struck down the universe's mightiest heroes, the one thing all Red Lanterns fear.

The thing spoke with its blaring monotone voice, "Power levels are insufficient. Survival is necessary." The monster turned to Dex-Starr, its silver emotionless face staring into the cat's soul. Dex-Starr was frozen it his place by its gaze. The monstrosity spoke again, "Sufficient power source, found." Slowly, the thing's face lifted up, revealing what was underneath, large empty eyes with no sign of life, an equally large gapping maw. The true face was nothing but three vacuous holes. Dex-Starr stared into the creature's eyes, behind which was the inside of its cavernous head.

Atrocitus came through, _"Dex-Starr what do you have to-"_ He recognized the creature. He too stared into its soulless eyes. _"Dex-Starr, this is very important. Whatever you do, don't fight it. You can't fight it."_

The cat's expression asked what to do.

"_Run."_


	5. Red and Blue Part 3

**Red and Blue (Part 3)**

"Come on, reach!" Karen shot her arm out into open space, stumbling forward a few feet as she did.

Alice smiled, not looking up from her book. "I really don't understand how you can be a Blue Lantern if you can't charge up your ring."

"_Retrieval of Blue Lantern Power Batteries should not prove difficult."_

"Yah!" Karen continued to dance around the Waller's backyard. Karen had thought it a better place to try and get her lantern battery out of from the pocket dimension it was kept in since Cpt. Waller was still at work. A small benefit in Calvin's eyes was that the way went by the music store. The funds donated to him would not go to waste. The ring had told Karen that extracting the Lantern was a simple process which now had taken up a good half hour of patience and time. Calvin and Alice had taken up lawn chairs on the back porch to spectate this fascinating new form of gymnastics. Alice Waller properly descripted it as a form of fencing solo without swords or just rhythmic air stabbing.

"Well it certainly doesn't look easy," added Calvin as he strummed a few cords on his brand new guitar, "Maybe you can charge it by jumping. Oh! Or maybe singing!" The two had been giving comments for a good thirty minutes or so and Karen had lost her patience at ten.

Another thrust of her arm caused her to lose her balance and fall on her face accompanied by a few chuckles. "Why won't you work?" Karen brushed dirt out of her hair.

"_The pocket dimension containing Lantern batteries can be easily accessed by any Lantern of their respective corps."_

"Then why can't I?" she shouted.

"_Unknown"_

"Gah!"

"_Warning: Ring capacity reaching 0%. Deactivation Imminent."_

Finally she gave up and sat down in the vacant lawn chair. Her right arm felt sore and hung off the side of the chair; the few times she had fallen over caused her to scuff up the knees of her pants. Karen sighed, how could everything have gone so wrong so quickly? Holding it between her thumb and index finger, Karen toyed with her ring. On the emblem, her distorted reflection looked back at her with disappointment.

"_Blue Lantern Power Ring deactivating…"_

The bright blue glow faded, the ring turning grey. Karen had something in her eye. Mitch was right, this was all a mistake.

Calvin patted her on the back. "Hey come on Karen it's no big deal."

"He does have a point," agreed Alice, not looking up from her book.

She sighed, "I know but…don't you ever get that feeling? You know, that you're meant to be a part of something bigger. A blue magical-space-ring comes out of the sky and tells you that you're something special and lets you see just how big the world is. Then just like that, it closes the door in your face." Karen wove the ring through her fingers. She started choking on her words. "You want to know what Mitch asked me in that interview? He asked if it was….a mistake….I'm not meant to wield this ring….I only lucked out thanks to some flawed programing. I'm not the kind of hero Saint Walker wants, I'm just some teenager."

"Hey don't talk like that," said Calvin. He put down his guitar and held his arm around her. "And besides if Mitch says anything else, you can just sick Alice on him." The studious Ms. Waller gave a hook-like smile at this and cracked her knuckles, returning to her book.

A blazing red trail broke through the grey clouds, crashing into the Waller's backyard with a thunderous roar. When the ground settled, Karen ran over to see that in the newly formed crater was a cat wearing what appeared to be a red version of a Lantern uniform. Its blue coat was spotted with burn marks and sticky with blood. She immediately thought to lift it up off the ground and place it on something clean. When she touched the blood mixed into its coat, there was a searing pain. The blood was like acid. Karen saw spots on her fingertips beginning to blister.

"Karen!" shouted Calvin, "Get the hell away from that thing!"

"It's hurt!" she shouted back. Karen turned to the cat, petting the top of its head which fortunately wasn't bleeding. "Don't worry you," she whispered to the poor creature. Karen winced, her fingertips stung. "You're going to be alright."

The cat opened its yellow eyes. It shrieked, its tail swung at her. A red whip-like construct followed and swatted Karen back, and landing on Alice. The animal stood, cradling its right paw and hissed at them.

BUZAKKK!

A red blast of energy erupted from the thick clouds overhead striking down the creature. The cat lay motionless in its crater.

The heavy clouds parted as a human figure descended from above, arms outstretched and legs locked together. It landed on the ground without a sound, standing above the wounded animal and stared down at it without any emotion or empathy. Its red skin was cold and metallic, its hands and feet were dark blue, and its face was an expressionless reflective plate. Its mirror-like face lifted upwards with a hydraulic whir, revealing what lay underneath. The eyes and mouth were big vacuous circles; inside its head was a swirling storm of the red light. Looking down animal, its empty face began draining the same burning red light from the cat.

Karen stood up, holding her grey colored ring out in front of her, "Listen…robot. Leave the cat alone or-"

BUZAKKK!

She fell to the ground. Android's hand was burning hot red, smoke trialing from its fingertips. Karen Cassidy rolled in the dirt and grass, screaming from her arm, now burnt white. The wound sizzled like grease. Alice was quick to hold Calvin back, not sure what else this thing could do. The metal apparition continued to draw red energy from the cat. It tried to struggle, eyes closed and not aware of what was happening. Finally all the energy had been extracted and the poor cat lay motionless again. The horrible emotionless face surveyed the creatures before it like observing insects.

Karen stared up at the machine, holding her albino colored arm. The horrid face looked down at her, a light with a red glow. Everything began to fade away, it was dark and cold. She was being lifted out of her body, taken somewhere else. All her worries and concerns didn't matter, all her hopes and desires were unimportant. It all just drifted away. Her vision was going, all she could see were the three vacuous holes in a triangle shape. The color began turning a light hint of yellow. A small voice echoed in the back of her head before she blacked out.

"Additional power sources found. No one escapes the Manhunters."


	6. Red and Blue Part 4

**Red and Blue (Part 4)**

It doesn't matter. None of it matters. Her arm was burnt but she couldn't feel it. Could she fell anything? It didn't seem like it. Maybe she was dead or alive or both. She felt herself floating, how or why wasn't important. She would just lay there and do nothing. Nothing might just be the only thing she could do anyway. She thought of herself laying there, just a slab of flesh on an invisible bed in an endless void. She tried to remember something. There had been three dots, small, they had formed a triangle…oh what did it matter? She tried opening her eyes, they might have been open already, or maybe she couldn't open them, either way it wasn't important. She couldn't hear herself breathing, maybe she wasn't. There wasn't even the sound of a heart beating, or the ringing of dead silence, or the pulse going through her veins. There was nothing to see or hear. Maybe she was dead.

Thwump, thwump.

There was something else here, something big. It was getting closer.

Thwump, thwump. Thwump, thwump.

Wings. That's what it was, wings. Their beating brought comfort, safety. There was something watching over your, looking out for danger. She felt her heart beating in her chest, matching the wings. It was warm. The pulse spread outward. The warmth went into her stomach, up her neck, through her arms. When it reached her fingers and her toes, it traveled all the way back. The beating inched its way back to the center, back to the heart. The pulse was now in balance.

Thwump, thwump. Thwump, thwump.

The wings stopped. Not sure whether her eyes were open or closed, the winged creature perched itself in front of her. It's plumage a radiant blue, sleek wings that were glossy as silk, and thick strong claws. The Eagle's greatest feature was its faces, three to be exact, one looked forward while the other two were to the sides, only their eyes overlapping with the middle ones'. It spoke without moving its mouths.

_"Karen Cassidy. Many lives are at risk."_

She recognized her name. "Where am I?" was Karen's first words.

_"Be calm child, you are at your friend's home where you belong. But you are also here where you don't. You are at the borderlands between life and death. You have been stripped of your greatest weapons. That creature, the Manhunter, is an evil as old as they come. They were forged by the Guardians to protect the universe when it was young. However an altering of their programming caused them to wage war against all life, exterminating the inhabitants of Space Sector 666." _The Bird's four eyes wept. "_Such a waste of life. This one is different though; Manhunters should only be able to steal the power of the yellow and green rings. They shouldn't be able to steal your own emotions either, that is why you ended up here. You are to be one of my greatest heralds, and I cannot afford to lose you so soon. You must travel far within yourself to find your way back to the living."_

"Oh is that all?" asked Karen.

While closed, the Eagle's three beaks laughed. "_Bro'Dee does pick the spirited ones...The only way back is to start at the center and find both your ways out. I am sorry Karen Cassidy, but here is a harsh place for me to exist it."_

The glossy blue wings began to beat. Karen felt them blowing her hair about. "Wait!" she dared, "Who are you?"

The Eagle's mouths opened, _"I am Adara. I am the embodiment of blue, I am the first and last hope of the universe. I must leave you. Know that there are many dangers ahead, and while whatever path you take shall not be an easy one, in the end all will be well."_

The bird flew off, leaving Karen alone once again. Start at the center…. What did any of that mean? There had to be something she could...cold. The warm blood began to retreat, creeping back. The beating of her heart was slowing. The blood had drawn back to her finger tips, they were icy. Karen shivered, the pulse was dwindling. There had to be something that gave her a reason, something that mattered. She felt something cold. It was small and curved. It fit right around her finger. Yes. She was alive, she knew that much. Life was certain. Now what? What's the point of me being alive? Again Karen felt the cold piece of metal around her finger. Right that. I am a…herald. I fought that one man with this ring. I helped people, I protected them. I'm a hero.

"_No,"_ spoke an insectile voice, _"You're not. You were chosen by accident, you're just some teenager who got lucky. You don't deserve to wear that ring. You're just a scared little girl who wants to be important."_

Another voice spoke. Its sound like that of the deep waters of the universe, _"That doesn't matter, it doesn't matter if you deserve it or not. you have it now and there are people in danger. People you hold dear. They will not be able to fight. They're in danger, you must to help them."_

"_Ha! Like you really care about them,"_ came a hiss. _"They don't think you're worthy, both of them think it. They laughed at your failure, they doubt your abilities."_ There was a prickling sensation on Karen's face. "_What do you owe them? Tell me, it hissed."_

"_They're your family. That's what you owe them. Your love is strong and they can't fight the battles ahead on their own."_ Karen felt water running down her face. "I love them and I'm not going to abandon them!"

Karen was back in the Waller's backyard, lying on the ground. She opened her eyes. The rain was coming down in buckets now, the drops pounding on the ground. Her fists were filled with oozing mud. "Alright," thought Karen, "Now get up." Nothing. "Fantastic." She managed to get a small twitch from her toes. "Get up." A couple fingers twitched in response and one of her calves flexed. "Awesome, progress." She worked the way up her limbs. Now she could move. She managed to sit herself up. Using her hands as support she tried standing. "Come on Karen, get up. Calvin and Alice need you…just…stand up." As she stood, her feet began sinking into the mud. She wobbled back and forth until her feet slipped out from under her. She hoped her arms could brace her fall. "No, No, N-"

She stopped. "No way, how could-" Her right hand had stopped her, Karen was putting all of her weight on that hand. Then she saw it, what her hand was resting on. It was a crack, just there, some kind of opening out of reality, the pocket dimension. It was like looking into a pool, radiating a blue glow as lights danced somewhere at the bottom, if it had bottom. It felt like a single movement would break the "watery" surface. Inside she saw a railway lantern with a beautiful deep blue color. Its center was a perfect sphere, two funnels pointing outward with a radiant glow, and a thin handle looping around to both sides. She broke the pool's tension and reached for it. Her arm felt little resistance as she stretched for the lantern. Her fingers wrapped around the thin handle, it was warm. Karen pulled back, pulling the lantern out of the pool. She had it. It felt hollow, light, like a balloon that's lost most of its air. Inside the beautiful baby blue light gazed back at her. She took the grey ring on her finger and placed it in one of the lantern's funnels.

Her ring's color returned. _"Recite: In fearful day, in raging-"_

"Ring," said Karen, "just shut up and charge."

"_Request accepted."_

The ring hummed as life was poured into it. Karen felt like she was being lifted up. Her damp clothes were suddenly dry. Her costume took form, white circle and all. The burn on her arm healed over. Karen saw Dex-Starr, still lying on the ground "Hey ring," she asked, "can you heal the cat?"

"_Affirmative. Red Lantern Dex-Starr can be revived"_

"Excellent…I've got an idea."

Alice huffed as she tried to run with Calvin hunched over her shoulder. Her footsteps splashed on the wet asphalt. Calvin was barely conscious and muttering something about how he "had him." It was like trying to carry a giant wet sack of sand. Alice hadn't even made it half way down the block. She knew carrying him around was pointless; they had barely gotten away from that thing in the first place. Alice wondered what had happened to Karen, the shuttered to assume the worst. Alice heard the whirr of the Manhunter's…whatever it used to fly. She pulled Calvin behind an ugly SUV, hoping that it would just go away. For some reason the rain felt heavier. Calvin's head slumped against her mutter something incoherent, in one hand he had what was left of the new guitar's neck. The sound was drawing closer. "Mzzuhbzz…wack yah." Alice closed her eyes and grabbed Calvin's hand. The whirring stopped. Alice gave a sigh of relief. She felt the car's suspension give way. Looking up, Alice saw the Manhunter peering down at her from on top of the car.

Its face lifted up and began draining her emotions. All of her determination, her hopes, her fears, her compassion, it all began to slip away into the three vacuous holes. "No one escapes the Manhunt-"

WONK

The Manhunter fell of the car and hit the ground. Something else landed on the asphalt street with a metallic thud. It was a glowing blue Lantern. Alice looked over from where the projectile had come from, and there was Karen; ring glowing bright, uniform on, the cat from before on her shoulder, and an all too confident grin.

"So, Manhunters….created by the Guardians as the first law enforcement, they went rogue and wiped out an entire sector. But you're different aren't you? That Lantern you've got for a head doesn't only feed off my ring, but my own emotions as well… " She saw Alice and Calvin lying against the car, "Oh…oh…. Now listen, trying to kill me I can understand, but hurting my friends and family…now you made me angry." Her ring started crackling. "So what do you think Dex-Starr? Care for round two?"

Dex-Starr hissed in agreement. The Manhunter stared at Teen Lantern, its face dropped back into place, its hands started glowing red.


	7. Red and Blue Part 5

**Red and Blue (Part 5)**

BUZACKKK!

A red beam hissed as it was fired in the rain. "No one escapes the Manhunters."

"Ah! Alright," said Karen, the blast had grazed her arm. "Next time I'll cut the hero speech." The wound hissed even as it healed over. Dex-Starr knocked her out of the way of another blast. The red beam pulled up, cutting through a house.

Karen was relieved when she saw no one had been hurt, just that the building was cut in half. "Yeesh, sorry guy."

"No one escapes the Manhunters."

"Yeah, you've been saying that a lot, do you have anything else?"

"No man escapes the Manhunters."

Dex-Starr and Karen stared at each other, "And that doesn't apply! Whoa!" Another blast came way to close. This one swiped across the street, several cars burst into flames. "Dex-Starr, I need you to hold it off while I help my friends, alright?" The cat nodded.

Karen flew down to Calvin and Alice who had her Lantern. Alice was scuffed up but seemed fine while Calvin looked like he was in rough shape. He had a large hole burnt through his shirt. The skin underneath was covered in scorch marks. "He tried hitting that thing with his guitar," said Alice "and well…this happened."

"I'm not sure, but I think that thing feeds off of emotions. All I really should need is just to give him a kick start." Karen held her ring against Calvin's chest. The ring glowed bright blue and Calvin's burn began to heal over.

He started muttered, "Ha, ha." *snort* "Hello Central City! You ready to rock?" When the wound was fully healed, Calving began to stir. "Gah! Karen?" He felt the area where he had been hit. Karen quickly explained why the horrible burning sensation was gone. "Karen, you're…you're…" The Manhunter fired of a misaimed red beam into the sky. 'You are not going to fight that thing."

Karen must have misheard him over the rain. "What?"

"You heard me," he said, "It nearly killed you." Calvin tried to stand but fell to his knees still clenching his chest. Alice had to sling his arm over her to stand him up.

"He has a point," said Alice. "You were lucky the first time with Bolphunga and this thing's even worse. Call in the Justice League, let them handle it."

BUZAAAK!

Dex-Starr fell out of the sky onto someone's lawn and lay there. The Manhunter lifted its face up and began to descend. Karen sighed. "Alright, call the Justice League." She picked up her Lantern, now with a massive dent in the side. "But until they arrive, this is my responsibility."

"Karen! Karen!" She ignored him and flew off. "Damn it." Calvin pulled out his cell and began dialing. Alice was already calling an ambulance.

The machine began feeding on the poor grounded Dex-Starr. "No man escapes the Manhunters."

"Again, that doesn't apply." Karen's fist made contact with the Manhunter's head but not without consuming some of her ring's energy. She had just enough time to grab Dex-Starr and fly off. The Manhunter simply stood there, the blue crackling with the red. "Come on Dex-Starr," she said holding her ring to the animal "Don't give up on me." Dex-Starr was as bloodied as before. Slowly he opened his eyes. "I hate to say it but I think we're out of our league here." The cat's ears drooped.

_"Maybe not," _spoke Dex-Starr's ring. _"I am Atrocitus, I'm leader of the Red Lantern Corps, and I think I know how to kill that thing."_

He spoke with an old voice that bellowed from his depths, nothing but hatred and rage. "I'm sorry but the last big scary alien I met wasn't exactly the nicest."

_"And what choice do you have?"_

The Manhunter was back, its red hot hands hissing as the rain hit them. "Let's hear it."

"Hello, you have reached the Justice League hotline. The League is very busy and while-"

"Your call is very important to us, we cannot answer it at the time. If you would like to report supervilian activity, press 1."

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." *beep*

"You have pressed 1. If you wish to report armed robbery, press 5. If you wish to report assult, press 6. If you wish to report arson-"

*beep*

"You have pressed 6. Please describe in 10 words or less."

"Oh come on!"

"This had better work, Atrocitus," said Karen. Both she and Dex-Starr were gripping their Power Batteries hard.

_"I make no such promises."_

"No one escapes the Manhunters." The machine was hovering in the middle of the street, its three mouths glowing red.

"Guess this is what they call do or die time." Karen's Lantern was rattling in her hand. Dex-Starr hissed. She gulped, "Let's go." Karen took the left and Dex-Starr took the right. The Manhunter was having difficulty trying to hit both of them at once. "Right, Dex-Starr, you-" The Manhunter let loose a massive fiery blast. A ball of bright red fire knocked them back, skidding down the street. Karen smashed onto a parked car, her dented lantern bounced against the asphalt. Dex-Starr was twitching on the ground. The Manhunter was flying down to them, taking its time. Karen rolled herself off the roof of the car and landed the pavement. She crawled over to the injured cat. "Come on…" She felt like she was coughing up a lung. "You can't give up that easily." Karen grabbed her Lantern and pulled it close. "Hey ring, share the love."

_"Warning: At current ring capacity, healing others is not recommended."_

"Do it." The blue from her ring linked itself to Dex-Starr. He opened his eyes. "There you are…thought I lost you again." She coughed up the other lung. Dex-Starr smiled fades as a shadow descended over the two.

"No man escapes the Manhunters."

Karen turned and faced the soulless machine. "For the last time…that doesn't make sense!" Holding both Power Batteries, she lunged at the Manhunter. She smashed both the Lanterns against its empty face which started feeding off both of them. When they were completely emptied, Karen fell to the ground. Inside the Manhunter's head was a storm of red and blue, the colors battling each other. The robot began jittering, shaking. Sparks shot off and electronics fizzled. It's head shock as dents began bursting outward. Its silver face lowered with several spastic jerks. When it closed down, lines of blue and red cracked across the surface and the face exploded into glassy fragments. The machine lurched forward, holding them up by the necks, its insides ripping apart. The three circles glaring at them

**"NO. ONE. ESCAPES. THE. MANHUNTERS. **vzzt **MANHUNTER. **vzzt** NO. THE. TSST. ESCAPE. **vzzt **COM. NO. **vzzt **ELTE. **–**HU**NTErrrrs."

The head sagged. Karen and Dex-Starr were released. All that was left in the Manhunter's head was a faint glow of red and blue. They stared at it in silence with nothing but the rain and the crackling circuits. "Guess you were right" said Karen, "hope and rage really don't mix." A mechanical hum came from within the machine. It stood up straight again.

"Manhunter 132 compromised. Detonation in 120 seconds."

"Ring, how big is that?"

"_Estimated blast radius will encompass all nearby residential and industrial areas. Estimated body count: 2,780,000 people."_

"How far should this thing be when it goes?"

"_Optimal safe distance would be outside Earth orbit,"_ replied her ring.

"Alright," said Karen, "Dex-Starr, give me a hand with this."

Dex-Starr's ring replied _"No."_ Atrocitus's razor-tooth voice blared, _"My servant's work is done here; the Manhunter is defeated. What happens now is none of my concern. Dex-Starr is to return to Ysmault."_

"What?" asked Karen, "You're just going to have him leave?"

"_To be honest I couldn't care less about your planet."_

"I trusted you!" shouted Karen.

The Manhunter spoke again, "Detonation in 110 seconds."

"_Then that is your fault, Dex-Starr, return to Ysmault."_ Dex-Starr stared at his ring, then to Karen and then back to the ring. He took his Power Battery and flew off.

Karen couldn't' help but feel sorry for that cat. "Ring, can I get this thing to a safe altitude?"

"_Yes,However current ring capacity is insufficient. Recharging is recommended."_

Karen stared over at the empty Lantern lying on its side in the middle of the street. "Don't think that's going to work."

"_At current ring capacity, chances of re-entry are 0%"_

"I see" she started at the robot in the street.

"Detonation in 100 seconds."

Calvin interrupted. "Karen, no, you don't have to do this. The Justice League is on their way, they'll handle this."

She looked into her brother's eyes. His knees were wobbling as he tried to stand. There was fear, so much fear, "Please."

Karen hugged her brother, harder than she ever had before. "I'm sorry," she said, "but I can't." It hurt so much letting him go. She did her best to ignore his shouting. Karen grabbed the Manhunter around the waist. Her right hand pointed up towards the grey clouds, ready to soar. "Ring, how much time is left?"

"_Detonation in 87 seconds, re-entry is impossible."_

Karen smiled, tears and raindrops rolled down her face. "Alright, let's fly," and with that Teen Lantern took flight. She heard Calvin shout out her name as she left him standing in the street. The wind whistled in her ears and the rain felt heavier. "I'm sorry," she said just before she broke through the clouds. The sun was beaming onto a field of grey. Even though she was speeding up, she felt she was moving much slower. The air itself was trying to push her down, adding more and more resistance the faster she went. "Detonation in 60 seconds."

Now the wind was screaming in her ears, growing louder and louder with every -**BOOM** - Karen felt the sound barrier shatter and she kept on climbing, just her and the Manhunter. Karen lost track of time as she flew, she just kept on going. She felt the wind grow thin and the light blue sky become cold and black.

"_Optimal safe distance reached. Detonation in 15 seconds."_

Teen Lantern smiled, "Thank you." She looked down on the Earth. It was like a big blue marble. Over seven billion down there and for whatever reason the ring chose her. "Thank you." She said to her ring one last time

"_Detonation in 4…3….2…1."_

Right before Teen Lantern closed her eyes, she saw a burst of red and blue.

When she opened them, she was faced with a shield; in the center of it was a big red "S."

"You know, I've seen a lot of brave people do a lot of brave things" he said, "I don't think I've ever seen someone pull off like that."

Teen Lantern, only staring at the shield, gave a chuckle, "Guess it's just my luck."

He chuckled too. "So you're that girl Green Lantern's been complaining about. He's been saying he's too cool for a sidekick."

"Well I'm too cool for a uh…whatever that makes him." That got him to laugh as well.

"You know you're a very luck little lady. I was held up stopping a volcano in the Pacific. It was your friend here who protected you from the explosion." Karen saw Dex-Starr staring shyly at her. She noticed the red aura around her. Dex-Starr looked away in shame.

Teen Lantern patted him on the head, "I though Atrocitus ordered you back home."

Dex-Starr had a guilty twinkle in his eye. His ring spoke, "Dex-Starr bad kitty."

She turned to the man in red and blue. "Hey, you know my ring can translate like…everything. That symbol on your chest isn't a letter. It's a word, from Krypton."

"Oh really?" he said, "What does it mean?"

Karen Cassidy finally looked him in the eyes, "Hope."

Epilogue:

"Manhunter 132 detonated, all evidence destroyed. Source: Inability to handle multiple colors, handicap will be removed. Modified Manhunter head test successful, upgrade to all models. The sentence will be past. No one shall escape the Manhunters."

**Definitely to be continued!**

8


	8. Children of the Nest

**Children of the Nest**

"Hello you poor pathetic things, it appears that your expected narrator is…indisposed at the moment, so he has asked me to hold your interest until his return. Oh but forgive me, we have not been properly introduced, I am Lyssa Drak, the story vampire. Even trapped within the Book of the Black, my confinement is but a small price to pay. Here past, present, and future are inscribed for my pleasure, volumes upon volumes of stories, terrible and wonderful. The universe is full of so many tales of pain and suffering, they are poetry to my 'soul.' How can anyone resist the succulent beauty found in the billion years of torment for the Five Inversions, the endless gluttony of Larfleeze, or the fall of the Green…well…there are some secrets I must keep to myself…

"Tonight is your night of All Hallow's Eve, a night where the monsters and the macabre cross into your realm. A night where demons dance and creatures crawl and it is the best time for a good tale or two. This story of the Teen Lantern is dull and dry, all about hope, and optimism, and how good always triumphs. It makes me sick. I have so many good tales of poetic pain and hideous horror.

"But…I suppose you also want something relating to the work of your regular 'writer' as well, so I think a compromise is in order. Now what did that dolt have in mind? Oh…oh my…why this is just…perfect. Consider yourselves lucky…or not, for what we have here is a **r****eal **story of terrors to come. It is called, 'Children of the Nest."'

On and old forgotten world, forsaken as a dark pit of overgrown jungles and swamps, monsters feast upon the weak, ripping their flesh with rotten teeth and broken claws. It is a brutal planet, as life is spawns from every cesspool and is just as quickly swallowed up. Only those native can breathe the sulfuric fumes of this world and the creatures that can…well that is something else. It is only the foolishly brave or bravely foolish who dare venture near and none have ever returned. A slightest brush of a leaf may be the last thing you hear before you are ripped apart by a swarm of carnivorous insects that strip flesh off of bones. The dull light from under the thick surface of a swamp may be the lure of an aquatic abomination that drags you down into the toxic depths. A gust of wind could signal the arrival of some ghoulish bird that, as its terrible shrieks sound, picks you up in its terrible claws drops you down to feed is many monstrous children and pick you apart piece by piece. There are many creatures like this here that live in, above, and bellow this jungle world as they feed on each other as it is a non-ending cycle of devour and death.

There is no true name to this world, though it is known to all as "The Nest." It homes many terrible beasts, each more horrifying than the last, but there is one creature that they all fear. One that hunts in a single pack that will find and devour any monster that lives here. Quick and crafty reptiles as hungry as they are merciless, they feed upon the weakest of prey or most terrible of beast, ever relentless in their endless consumption. They swarm their food, tackling it to the ground and ripping at its flesh as the poor beast struggles, knowing that it will not escape its fate while its belly is sliced open and its intestines poured out. It struggles to the very end as it kicks blindly and feels its ligaments stretch until its limbs snap from their sockets. A once proud beast of the Nest is now just another's dinner.

The body will be dragged away, through the mass of tangled vines and branches to the leader of this pack, Breesh. One of the earliest borne, she lead her brothers and sisters as they hatched in a pile of sallow, dirt encrusted eggs to their first kill, their own nurturing mother. Breesh is closest thing to order for these creatures and without her they would most likely turn on each other. But she knew from birth that their breed was powerful, and led them to greatness. By her lead they hunted down and extinguished any predator that dared threaten their supremacy and decorated her lair with the remains of her victims, some of her brethren included. Under her rule, she kept this pack of monsters tame and made certain they do not step out of line.

One of Breesh's tools to do just that was Birraken. Hatching late, Birraken was born with many deformities, a weak arm cannot run, a misshapen jaw that cannot break bone, and a head with bulbous growths that make him stand out even in the dense jungle. He was utterly useless in the hunt but he had an important role nonetheless. Whenever his brothers and sisters become angry at each other, they used Birraken to…cope with their basic instincts. His deformed face became scared. His tail bared bite marks of every shape and size. The very tip is nothing but a withered piece of meat. Even his limp has been made worse by his brethren as Birraken's legs have healed so many times that even if they weren't weak, he could never run. The only bit of kindness he received if at all was from his sister and leader, Breesh when she feed him the scraps that are too rotten for anyone's taste. What little he gets he ravishes, wolfing down his dinner before being called and beaten again.

This was life for Birraken, ever the most pathetic of the greatest race of the Nest. That is until a star fell from the sky. It was unlike anything the pack had seen before; a yellow light came from that high above, searching for something. Many claws and snarled at the thing before it found what it was looking for, Breesh. The light wrapped itself around her claw, and speaking only to her, the light grant fantastic power to create anything from nothing.

Breesh said that whoever had granted her this power had given it to many others and they ruled the stars, smiting down fools who dared question their authority. And so, she used the light to instill greater order in her pack, never allowing anyone to question her rule. Yet still, Birraken was the victim of abuse from his brothers and sisters. As Breesh used the yellow light to rip apart the great beasts of the Nest, Birraken was to obey her even more as any command to his siblings that was not met ended in a fate worse than death. One attempted usurper was the mighty Vecorak, one of the strongest hunters. He said that her power had waned as her faith in the light had made her weak. He soon learned the error of his ways as he was torn apart by a yellow creature that bared his very image. This new beast forever replaced him and led the hunts as he did. Breesh made clear that the pack only existed as long as she saw fit, and there was not much to see. She crafted new siblings that were faster, stronger, and were controlled simply by a thought.

One day however, Breesh did not rise. She led them on the hunt while safe in her liar, she said this is where she belonged and sent them out again for food. Though the pack ate well, Birraken's torments did not end, they became worse. His brothers and sisters dug their claws deeper and ripped more from his hide. The more Breesh used her power, the more they hated Birraken. Their blind animalistic rage wrongly focused upon him.

It was on a faithful night, that Breesh became concerned. She called Birraken to her side and asked him to pull the ring from her claw. She said the one who had sent the light now was extinguishing it far off in the stars. She said he was great and terrible and bent entire worlds to their knees. She hissed one last time before the light sparked and she fell limp, the light sliding off her finger. It was unlike anything else Birraken had ever seen, it was hard and cold, a yellow piece of shinny rock that formed a circle to fit around a finger.

There was terrible cry that brought all of Birraken's siblings. They found their leader unconscious and the pathetic one balled over at her feet, the light around his claw. Though they kept their distance they still heard the light finally speak what it had said to their leader, "Breesh of Space Sector 2814, you have the ability to instill great fear. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps."

A few days later a sniveling little creature dared to venture into the home of the pack. He found bodies. Bodies of monsters that had all ran in fear of something terrible, a force of nature that only cared for their slaughter. Their bodies had been ripped, peaked, torn, sliced, crushed, and burned. And across the ground was written in the blood of Birraken's siblings one sentence was repeated over and over in countless languages. "We are the Sinestro Corps and we are one."

"Ah that is the kind of story I like, one where the most pathetic of creatures turns out to be the most terrifying. I have long since left Sinestro to his ways, he thinks he can honestly control the universe but I have a higher calling, to read the tales of horror. But as the night ends and the day comes again, your celebrations of monsters and the macabre must end. Let us hope your narrator returns as I shan't subject myself to the stories of pathetic Earthlings. And you should also hope that the monsters that cross into your world next Hallow's Eve are not the ones from here!"


	9. Trial of the Blue Lanterns Part 1

**Trial of the Blue Lanterns (Part 1)**

After the incident with the Manhunter, Karen's life began to slow down. The only major highlight was that Mitch's slanderous article in the school paper had been ignored by most of her fellow students because "she fought a frikkin' robot." However, Karen's swarm of attention had begun to dissipate and she thought it was for the better. Whether she liked it or not, a new school year was starting and heroics would have to take a backseat to education, a philosophy heavily enforced by her parents. Karen didn't mind except that her ring and power battery were completely dead. She had tried to get the battery spark by hooking it up to her parents' car in secret, but as it turned out Karen's knowledge of intergalactic power rings powered by emotions was severally lacking and nearly destroyed the Cassidy family's other mode of transport. Her parents were quick to forgive her by taking her lantern and ring away until the Blue Lanterns showed up.

It was then she began to worry, she didn't know where the Blue Lantern's headquarters was, she didn't know how to contact them, they could be waiting for her signal right now and she wouldn't know. Karen found herself sitting on the roof looking up at the stars, wondering if she could see Odym, or whatever they called it from here. One night her brother saw her outside the bathroom window.

"Hey there," he said, sticking his head out.

"Hi," replied Karen. She returned to star gazing.

"Beautiful night."

"Yeah."

"You look up and you see the universe, all those stars. Makes you feel small."

"No," she said, "It makes me feel big."

Her worries were put at ease at the start of the weekend. On Saturday, just as Walker had promised, a Blue Lantern arrived on the Cassidy doorstep. She was Sister Sercy, Blue Lantern of Space Sector 4. Sister Sercy was difficult to describe, but through Calvin's hysteric shouting she was "a purple faced nun with no feet." At this vivid description, the Cassidys ran to the door to great their guest. Sercy was brief and to the point, she said that Karen's time had come to prove herself worthy of the Blue Lantern Corps and that Walker had sent her to be Karen's escort to Odym. This was before she saw the dead ring and damaged power battery; she seemed taken aback by that. Nevertheless, following Saint Walker's orders, she took the eager Karen's hand and flew up, into the sky,

Space Sector 1 is easily one of the most beautiful. So close to the center of the universe, its ancient worlds are teeming with life and the greatest wonders ever known. Worlds are populated with happy, peace loving people. It is the home of the Nicto-Brada-Klatu system, three suns acting as one and in perfect balance. There is Audd, a planet with rings made of solid diamond. Polaris, the North Star that shines the pearliest shade of white in all the known universe. There's the Matta cloud, a mass of glimmering water the size of an entire system. When light hits it just right it becomes a billowing light that can stretch across the horizon. This is what Karen and Sercy passed through on their way to Odym.

"Wow," said Karen Cassidy.

"That was my reaction when I first came here," said Sister Sercy, "I never knew there could be anything like this." Karen didn't hear her, distracted by the plethora of stars that shone every color and others that were entirely new ones as they shone down like a thousand lights, turning the darkness of space into a carnival of colliding colors.

"Wooow" she said again. Even though Sercy had given her ring a charge, Karen had to be pulled along to Odym. She had been wondering who this new Earth Lantern was, though she hadn't expected someone so young. It had taken Sister Sercy years of mental and physical training, to become the person worthy to wear a blue ring, and all the while living under the tyrannical rule of Evil Star. This girl on the other hand was…

"Is space always this cool?" Karen asked in a dazed voice.

….different. "Not every Sector is blessed with such beauty." Sercy replied. She was so young. Yet this girl had already learned to manipulate her uniform and have even stood her ground against a Manhunter and judging by the condition of her battery Karen Cassidy hadn't been at all diplomatic. However it was not her place to question Saint Walker. She looked back at the new Lantern basking in the pure glow of Polaris, holding out a hand and trying to trail her fingers across its surface. Karen was lost in its magnificence. As they came around the pearly star, Sercy spotted Odym directly ahead. "We're here," said she and made course.

With one punch, Brother Warth split a tree in half. "Come on now you can't keep dodging!" His foot slammed down, shaking the earth and forcing up a cloud of dust. Warth let loose a thundering trumpet. His opponent was trying to run away, unless he had something to say. Another tree was broken in half as Warth swung his mighty fist. His foe tripped and fell to the ground. Looking into Warth's eyes was looking into two empty voids. His chest pounded like bellows. He glared down at the cuddled creature before him, "Is that all you've got?"

"Please! Can we stop now?" was his answer.

Warth groaned, "Come on, Sqwaak." He held out his hand. "You can't be a Lantern with that attitude." Sqwaak was the latest recruit to the Blue Lantern Corps, and as an uninitiated member he bore a white circle on his blue and black uniform. Sqwaak had been dragged into a sparring match with Brother Warth and had quickly learned he was both stronger and faster than he looked. What had once been a tidy sparring circle in the middle of a forest now had been covered with fallen trees, craters and large white feathers.

Accepting his hand, Sqwaak was lurched onto his feet, his thin wobbling legs nearly gave out from under him. "I didn't think the Blue Lantern Corps involved fighting." He clucked, and tried fixing his ruffled plumage.

"It shouldn't" added Brother Hynn from the side. He had been watching the whole time. While he objected to Warth's method of terrorizing the recruits on day one, he was hesitant to intervene. "But while the Corps' founding principles are of peace and understanding, not everyone shares them. With any luck, you shouldn't have to fight." Sqwaak found reassurance in Hynn's old eyes. "Yes," agreed Brother Warth, "And It is because of these few unruly characters that I shall teach you in the ways of combat." He put his hand on Sqwaak's shoulder. "And it also helps to whip you….what's the word? Poozers! Into shape." He gave a jubilant laugh as he patted Sqwaak on the head. "Don't worry Sqwaak, I shall make a Lantern out of you one way or another!"

Sqwaak only replied with an inaudible cluck, and scratched at the ground with his feet. An ambient glow came from above and he saw Sister Sercy flying toward the Central Power Battery alongside a younger Lantern. "Ha! Ha! Ha!" laughed Brother Warth, "We'll I'll be!"

Alone in a secluded cave Saint Walker drummed his fingers on the massive hard bound cover. It was smooth, freshly cut from the forests of Odym. Its wooden cover was dyed deep blue; Brother Hynn had been surprisingly knowledgeable of such crafts. The shade came from herbs found in Odym's mountains. Sister Sercy had made paper that was as smooth as silk. Brother Warth had sown the pages together with twine he had made. The only mark on the cover was the Blue Lantern emblem, the color of ivory white. Saint Walker opened up the deep blue cover, hearing the binding stretch and the pages shift ever so slightly. Saint Walker held his chin as he looked down onto the massive creamy white pages. There was so much space; on just one of these pages he could write on forever. He dipped his pen into the inkwell his hand, its contents made of the herbs on the cover. Everything used in making this book had come from Odym, every last page and every inch of twine. It had taken weeks, but now it was finally done, the Book of the Blue Lanterns, the Book of Odym. This was a testament to the universe, a defiance to corruption and cruelty, a cry of hope and of peace. This book would far outlast him, or Warth, or any of his lanterns. It might even one day outlast the Guardians. "Now…," he said to himself, "where to begin?" Dwindling in an idea he lowered his pen down towards the paper, he yanked it back just before he could mark it. "No, that's no good. Hum…" Saint Walker drummed his fingers on the massive page. He twirled the pen between his fingers. He felt a spark of inspiration and again he lowered his pen, ready to begin the Book of Odym.

"Saint Walker!" Walker nearly splashed the inkwell all over the first page. "Karen Cassidy is here!"

"Ye…ye…yes, Brother Warth, thank you." Walker, somewhat shaken, shut the book before anything might mark it. It would be disappointing of the tome of his corps would have to have a large ugly ink stain on page one.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"

"Oh no, nothing. I was just trying to start the Book of Odym and I was thinking on how to…actually…do that." Walker drummed the side of his leg with the pen.

Warth slapped him on the back. "You worry too much, Walker. You'll think of something."

Walker almost spilled the inkwell again, "Um, yes. Right."

"Come now! It's taken long enough, let's show them what we've got!"


	10. Trial of the Blue Lanterns Part 2

Trial of the Blue Lanterns (Part 2)

* * *

Karen sat in the shadow of the Central Power Battery. The thing towered over Odym, sitting on its small island just before the river dropped off into the roaring waterfall. Karen gazed over the expanse of forests. She let her feet dangle off the cliff that stood out like a bowsprit above the massive drop. Every inch of the planet seemed alive, birds sang as they glided through the air, the trees bowed and swayed even without a breeze, the forests were home to animals each more extravagant than the last. Karen watched as some of the fish would swim away from the falls, slowly winning the battle against the current, while others would plunge off, able to survive the drop. One case was a fish that jumped out of the water with scaly wings and took flight. Karen lay back on the mattress of green grass, still dangling her legs off the cliff. She closed her eyes as she felt the warmth of the white sun slowly pass over, the shadow of the Power Battery receding. "I could get used to this," she thought.

A voice spoke, "_**Where are they?"**_

Karen was instantly awake. She must of slept longer than she thought as she had broken a cold sweat. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to startle you," someone bwakked.

"No, no, it's alright I was just….uh…." Karen turned to face what appeared to be a giant chicken.

"I'm Sqwaak," he said.

Instead of a reply, Karen more just stared at him with her mouth a gap. "You don't say." She stared at him some more.

"So are you a recruit too?" Sqwaak asked.

"Um…..yes," Karen as she jumped to her feet, "Karen Cassidy, potential Blue Lantern for Space Sector 2814." She held out her hand, "You?"

The bird man shook her hand, "Sector 12, also only potential though. Huh, that's odd. I thought Brother Warth said Blue Lanterns are meant to be chosen one at a time. Not that there's anything wrong with that." He put his hands up as if to protect himself.

"Yeah…" said Karen, rubbing the back of her head, "I think Saint Walker said something about that…"

"_Saint Walker's programming."_ interrupted her ring.

"Oh right, he said he didn't program it right or something like that, speaking of, Walker!"

Over the Central Power Battery came Saint Walker with Brother Warth and Sister Sercy. He glided upon the air, careful not to disrupt the slightest breeze. "Hello Karen Cassidy, it is good to see you again. It seems you've already met Recruit Sqwaak." At this Sqwaak seemed to shrink. "Sister Sercy tells me that you've had an encounter with a Manhunter."

"Very impressive for a rookie!" said Warth with glee. He slapped Karen on the shoulder. She hit the ground with a loud thud. "Sorry!" he said as he helped Karen up.

"It's fine," she said, "just warn me next time." .

"I must been over excited, I've been promoted to instructor! It's in my title, Drill Instructor Brother Warth!" His ring shined with pride. "I get to train all the new recruits in self-defense!"

Karen rubbed her now sore shoulder. Training with Warth sounded like a sure fire way to end up in a cast that even her ring couldn't heal. "Um yeah, can't wait for that."

Sister Sercy spoke up, "I mean not to intrude but Recruit Cassidy has yet to prove herself worthy of the corps."

"Yes," Saint Walker agreed, "It's best that we begin the Trial."

"Tr-Tr-Trial?" said Sqwaak.

"That's right! It's time to prove your worth!" shouted Brother Warth with glee, "Best of luck to you lad!" He knocked Sqwaak to the ground too. "Sorry!"

A laugh escaped Saint Walker, "Come now. It is time for the trial." Walker flew above Karen and Sqwaak and descended down the falls. The rookie Lanterns followed after him, the falls thundered in their ears. Protected by his ring, Walker stood at the very base. Even through the cloud of mist, Karen and Sqwaak were able to find the glowing blue aura. Walker stared at the water. He closed his eyes and gave a deep breath. He held out his hands and the aura of blue light extended out, piercing the falls. Behind the water was a dark cave. A forest of stalactites hung from the ceiling and its mouth gaped open wide. He cut upward and made a gap in the water for Karen and Sqwaak to pass through. Saint Walker followed them and drew back the aura.

Sqwaak eyes were bulging, "I thought that Blue Lanterns could not create constructs!"

"We can't," replied Walker, "However with experience it is possible to extend one's aura."

Karen pretended to understand the difference and followed Saint Walker into the cavern. The thunder of the falls echoed as they walked deeper into the cave. As they walked, they needed their rings to bring light to the darkness. "So…. Not to sound annoying or anything, but where are we going?" asked Karen.

"It is alright Karen, we are entering the Chamber of Hope," said Walker.

"Well why does – ow!' Karen hit her foot on a rock. "Then why is it underground?"

"Because of that." As they turned a corner, Karen saw it, a massive pool that sprawled in all directions. Its radiant blue water lit up the huge cave. The ripples on the surface made drew white lines across the ceiling, dancing in their own way. "This," said Saint Walker, "is Adara's Sanctum. It is said that the first creature to ever pray came here. Near death, it hid in this cave and in this pool, hoped for its own survival. Its tears fell into the pool and created these waters. The creature itself became our winged avatar of hope, Adara. It is from here that hope spread across the universe, and here where your journey begins."

"Whoa," added Karen.

Saint Walker ignored that and turned to leave. "Wait," begged Sqwaak, "What do we do?"

"You will see. Wait at the pool's shore and open your minds." He walked out, back towards the falls.

"Well that was nice and vague," said Karen. She noticed that Sqwaak had already taken a seat at the waters; his eyes shut and feathered hands in his lap. "I'm not much one for meditating. Is there anything important to do?"

"Um…..not that I know of…." said Sqwaak, "I this is how the monks at the temple pray…I…I think."

Karen shrugged her shoulders and sat cross legged next to Sqwaak, closed her eyes, and tried to make a hand sign that looked meditative enough. "So…how did you end up in the Blue Lantern Corps?"

"Well…well…I'm not in the yet. But anyway, I'm a student and…..I."

_Karen's ring interrupted, "Yorkin Sqwaak is currently enrolled in Vivfiat Medical School. He was recommended to the Blue Lantern Corps by Sister Sercy when he stopped a political protest on the verge of rioting. He convinced both the students and the campus/local police to put down their arms and go home."_

"Yes….that. It wasn't that big of a protest."

"_Said protest considered of approximately 10,000 people. Yorkin Sqwaak ceased the crowd's violent actions by utilizing a nearby speaker system."_

Karen opened her eyes and stared at Sqwaak in disbelief. "Really?"

Sqwaak had stopped meditating, "I…don't know, it just sort of happened. I was scared and…and….I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I didn't do anything because I was brave or anything, I did it because I was scared."

"It's a lot braver than anything I could have done," said Karen. "Most of what I did was a lot of running from a big angry guy with a sword. My friends, Saint Walker, and Brother Warth did more than me. I'm….not….that….great…."

"_**You are correct girl"**_

"What was that?!" said Sqwaak.

"I…..I…don't know…."

Sqwaak held out his ring. Its light darting through the cave and his eyes feeling heavy, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"_**What I want are your masters. And what I am is above you."**_

Sqwaak stumbled. Correcting himself, he held his ring out again. "W…well….well if you're looking for Saint Walker, why are in here?"

"**I wish to speak with your true masters!"**

Sqwaak fell on the ground, writhing in pain. His screams echoed through the Chamber of Hope and this flashing on and off. Karen ran to his side. "Ring! What's happening?"

"_Lantern Recruit Sqwaak's ring is manipulating the parts of this brain that interpret pain. If not deactivated in 5.48 minutes, Lantern Recruit Sqwaak will die."_

"Shut it off!"

"_Unable to interfere."_

Sqwaak began flailing manically on the floor. "Why?" shouted Karen.

"_Recruit Lantern Sqwaak is commanding is ring to do so. He is killing himself."_


	11. Trial of the Blue Lanterns Part 3

Trial of the Blue Lanterns (Part 3)

"I am simply curious about the circumstances that lead to Karen Cassidy's recruitment," said Sister Sercy, "I thought you did not design the ring to seek out recruits."

"I didn't intentionally," replied Saint Walker, "though forging it seemed to warrant some unexpected abilities within her ring. And so far I believe that not only has it demonstrated such but she has displayed great potential herself."

"Yes, this is how she dealt with a Manhunter." Sercy held up the drained Lantern Battery with its massive dent.

Sister Sercy sat at the base of the Central Power Battery with Walker, Warth, and the reserved Brother Hynn. The Corps had not had many meetings until recently. The first was shortly after the Blackest Night, where, with Ganthet and Sayd gone, the four member corps had elected Saint Walker as Guardian. These meetings had become more and more frequent as the Corps began recruiting. Sayd had crafted ten rings for the corps before her departure, hence why Walker started creating ones of his own, something he had forgotten to inform Sercy of by the way.

"The fact that she's alive, I think, shows that she is more than capable," spoke Warth.

"It is not her abilities that concern me, it is her methods. Both in the case of the Manhunter and of Bolphunga, she undermines our creed and solves her problems with violence. It seems to me that she is more concerned with being a hero than a member of our Corps."

"We are still trying to dictate what our creed is, Sercy," said Brother Hynn.

"And besides," said Brother Warth, "She is only a recruit."

"So?" asked Sercy, "Saint Walker, on your world you are the messiah; Brother Warth, you created hope when others despaired; and Brother Hynn, you are a man of thoughts and philosophy."

"And what about you, Sister Sercy?" asked Brother Warth.

"I…I am not like you. But nonetheless who joins this corps is crucial and I believe the recruitment of Karen Cassidy is something that we must take more time to consider. We are not the Lanterns of Oa, we should not be handing out rings in sectors on a whim. I believe you have met Sinestro, Saint Walker? I hope you understand."

Walker held his head, "You make a valid point Sercy, without a doubt. But I put faith in Sayd's programming to judge her as well as her indoctrination alongside recruit Sqwaak. I also believe that the Guardians were too methodical in their recruitment. There are billions of souls out there that can benefit from our aid and it is a waste of time to strictly follow such a lengthy procedure." Warth gave a face of approval. "You have always given useful insight Sercy, and I do value your input, but I do not believe this to be the future of our Corps. Is there anything else to discuss?"

Sercy sat in quiet disappointment. "Then let us-" "You are wrong.", said Brother Warth.

"What?" asked Walker.

"What...right...do...you...have...to...judge...the ...Guardians?" demanded Warth. The hulking mass of pure strength stood up, towering over the others. Warth strained to speak, as if something was pulling his mouth along like a puppet controlled with thick wire. His eyes were bloodshot and heavy drops of sweat trailed down his face. "You have...no right!"

"Warth, what's wrong?" said Saint Walker, standing up alongside his Lanterns.

"Where are your...masters?" demanded Warth, "The...ones from...Oa?"

Walker replied at once, "They're gone. They left us."

"Then all is for naught." Warth let loose a terrible scream and fell to the ground on all fours. "This one has decided you. All this time you thought him your friend, when he is a monster." A hump was bulging out of Warth's back, growing out of his spine. "You are all gullible fools," said Warth. "You never thought to question this one on the simplest of things. Pale one, you saw him speak in tongues unknown to him…to fly a ship he'd never seen before…how could you be so stupiii**AAahhrga**hhhh!" Spindly insect legs sprouted from Warth's back, they wrapped around his ribcage. The Lanterns watched in horror as blue liquid metal poured out from the bulge, encasing Warth in armor. Warth let loose a terrible trumpeting. He pounded the ground in pain as his fingers were the last to be encased in black and blue armor. The lanterns stepped back from their friend as he slowly pulled himself up right. Warth glared at them with red covered eyes in disgust. This was technology of the Reach, intergalactic merchants that fought the Green Lantern Corps to a stand-still. What the Blue Lanterns had known of Brother Warth was gone, replaced by this hulking monstrosity. Warth bellowed in a voice part him and part machine, "This is the face of a deceiver!" Electricity arched all across the armor as he fell on the ground writhing. Only Warth screamed.

"What the hell do you want?" Karen shouted into the darkness.

"**I want them gone,"** said The Voice from everywhere, "**All the unworthy chosen by mere mortals."**

Writhing on the ground, Sqwaak clenched his ring. The small thing flashing erratically. HIs eyes blasting out bright glorious blue radiance. He tried to force words out but they were lost in his wails of pain. Karen tried to pull Sqwaak's ring off. He flailed around and scratched her face with his clawed feet.

"_Unless ring activity of interrupted in 3.7 minutes, Recruit Lantern Sqwaak will die."_

"Shut up and contact Saint Walker!" Karen's ring sputtered and went dim.

"**The false Guardian cannot help you."**

"Since when did we deceive you?" demanded Saint Walker. "Sercy, Hynn, get him into the Central Power Battery." Walker's pupils followed him without question. They pulled the screaming Warth into the air and towards to towering battery. Walker flew up to face the gaping mouth of the lantern. His eyes burned bright blue. Sercy let go of Warth to speak to Walker and left Hynn to try to calm their brother.

"He lied to us Walker." said Sercy, "He must have known all this time that he was carrying that...thing inside him." Walker only looked into the battery. "Walker! Are you-"

"Let me make one thing especially clear," said Saint Walker in a voice devoid of all kinship and kindness. This wasn't Saint Walker talking, it was a commander. "It does not matter if Warth has in any way deceived us. He is dying and we are going to stop it. Right now." Walker held out his arms to the Central Power Battery. His ring began humming, then sparking, the cracking blue lighting.

Sercy stared in bewilderment. "What are you doing?!"

Walker didn't break his concentration, "This...thing used our rings to communicate with us and do whatever it is doing to Warth. I'm shutting down the entire network." Sercy tried to word something but at that moment the Power Battery boomed out light. It seemed out of the massive lantern's openings and poured into Walker's ring. Hope beamed from Walker's eyes. Sweat poured down his albine face.

Karen was pacing madly in the Chamber of the Blue Lanterns. She had nothing, nothing could save Sqwaak. Her ring was completely useless either in abilities or advice, she tried to pull of Sqwaak's ring but it was like it was bolted on, and...there was the voice.

"**Your leader, the pale one, thinks he can shut me out. He is mistaken."**

"_Warning: If Lantern Recruit Sqwaak's ring is not deactivated in approximately 2 minutes, he will die."_

"Why are you doing this?" demanded Karen to the darkness. "Why are you killing him?"

"**I do not wish to kill him, girl. But it is necessarily to keep the Hope Lanterns pure. The one beside you is weak and full of doubt. His heart is not strong enough to stare into the void of ultimate desperation. I am sparing him from a much worse fate."**

Sqwaak screamed out, his clawed feet scratching the floor of the Chamber of Hope. Karen tried to pulling off his ring again, she pulled to the point she could have taken his arm off. Nothing. He just lay there flailing and screaming. She looked at her own ring. "Then, what about me?"

"**What do you mean?"**

"What makes me so special, yet means Sqwaak has to die? WHAT MAKES ME SO SPECIAL?!" She waited for a response. "I'M NOT PURE, I HAVE WEAKNESS, I HAVE DOUBT! I DON'T KNOW IF I EVEN BELONG HERE! I'M NOT LIKE WALKER OR WARTH OR SERCY OR SQWAAK! SO TELL ME, WHAT THE HELL MAKE ME SO GODDAMN SPECIAL?!"

"**I...I...sent your ring to you, I lured the fighter to test you, you passed."**

"That?! That makes me worthy?! I spent barely stood a chance against Bolphunga, I had help, I would have died on my own. And in the end, I won because of his stupidity. There has to be something better than that."

"**You are of Space Sector 2814, Earth's sector, known for breeding champions of the emotional spectrum. I know of them...yet...there are other...I can't remember,"** The voice ceased.

"Well?" shouted Karen, "Why?! Why do the 'weak' have to die?!" The voice was gone. She waited. Still nothing. "_Warning: If Lantern Recruit Sqwaak's ring is not deactivated in approximately 30 seconds, he will die."_ The voice was gone, but it was still controlling Sqwaak's ring. This was it. Poor Sqwaak was going to die. For no reason aside from some meaningless ramblings, Sqwaak was going to die. Karen held back her stomach and looked to the poor alien screaming and flailing on the stone floor. Poor innocent person. Karen sat next to him and grabbed hold of his arm. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"**You think you can shut me out?"** said the voice of Walker. "**I am not some program. I am the Hope itself, it is a part of my very being, Astonian." **Walker screamed but held strong. He looked like something facing death itself. Whatever this thing was pushed deep into Walker's mind. "**Ah, you see what I am. Now do you realize the futility of fighting me? The Lanterns of your corps are flawed and ill-suited for this mission. If they fall, it could mean the end of all life. Only the truly pure may join this brotherhood. Do not taint yourself with the unworthy, pale one. You tried all a mortal could, but you are not supplement for a true Guardian."**

"I see what you are." Walker's looked like his own mind was about to crumple and fall. "I don't care what you call Warth or anyone else in my Corps. I am the leader of the Blue Lanterns and this is my Corps and my brotherhood. I am Saint Bro'dee Walker! The mortal Guardian!" Walker shouted madly as the last of the blue light flew into his ring. He and Sercy fell to the ground next to Hynn and Warth.

Karen's ring went suddenly went dead. Sqwaak stopped screaming and lay panting on the ground. He was alive. "SQWAAK!"

"huh...?" He replied from somewhere far off. Sqwaak found himself lifted up and swung around the cave in Karen's arm. She was shouting some mad gibberish that was beyond him at the moment. Karen held Sqwaak up as he seemed capable to stand on his own two feet.

"YOU'RE ALIVE, YOU'RE ALIVE, YOU'RE ALIVE, YOU'RE ALIVE! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONE AND THEN...YOU WEREN'T...YOU'RE ALIVE!"

Sqwaak tilt his head to the side and looked at her with glazed eyes. He let loose a slow but irregular stream of clucks and sketches.

Now Karen looked back at him with hesitation, "...what?"

Warth had stopped screaming and now lay motionless in the grass. Hynn spoke up but instead of works he seemed to croak sounds made by scraping together bits of moldy bark. Sercy stared bewildered at him but Walker knew what he had done.

Shutting down the Central Power Battery shut down the rings including the universal translation unit and now they were all speaking nonsense to one another. Sercy tried to respond in a voice that flowed and spun like a school of fish, now Hynn gave an equally confused face. Walker just pointed to his ring and said in Astonain, "Off". That they understood. Now that Walker knew what they were fighting against, he had no way to tell the others. They had no clue about-

Suddenly Warth jerked up. He clutched Hynn by the throat and threw him over Walker and Sercy and into the Central Power Battery. He stood up and glared at the powerless Lanterns.

"**Fools,"** spoke the voice. "**You cut off my control of the Scarab-wearer."**

Walker, Sercy, and Hynn all looked up at their comrade, Warth's warm presence replaced with cold metal, his opening hands clenched into firsts, the armor was in control now. Blades sprouted from the armor's wrists, guns formed from it's back, and Warth let loose a terrible trumpeting that shook the ground. Though the other's did not speak his language, Sercy and Hynn knew exactly what Walker said. "Take him." The three powerless Lanterns charged their friend turned monster under the shadow of the Central Power Battery.


	12. Trial of the Blue Lanterns Part 4

Trial of the Blue Lanterns (Part 4)

Karen and Sqwaak walked back out through the cave. They stumbled around with their hands outstretched and occasionally stumbling on rocks. After their rings went out they had agreed, or at least Karen had thought she made it clear, to look for the other Lanterns. It was much harder to navigate without any light. Karen let herself be lead by the distant rumbling of the waterfall by the entrance. Sqwaak was silent, walking far behind Karen, and watching the walls as to see the source of the horrid voice. So far they had been fortunate that Odym's atmosphere was breathable for both of them, incredibly so. There was no point speaking to Sqwaak as they wouldn't understand each other, but there had to be someway to council Sqwaak after the voice tried to kill him with his own ring. She looked back and saw that Sqwaak had removed his ring. Not a bad idea. She did the same. "Sqwaak" she said. The humanoid chicken looked up. "I want to talk to the voice to see what it wants." She pointed to the roof of the cave. Sqwaak shrank a few inches. "Alright," she said. They resumed walking. Finally they came to the end of the cave and were faced with the thundering waterfall. There was enough space on the side of the rock face to work around the falls. They did so in silence. Finally out in the dense forests of Odym, the two looked at each other as if the other knew how to proceed. Sqwaak pointed suggestively to the top of the falls and then to his ring. The Central Power Battery. "Alright," said Karen, "But how?" In front of them was a cliff face at least two-hundred feet tall. Sqwaak looked over to a part of the cliff far off from the Battery. The forest crept up to the cliff and then climbed it in whole. The trees jutted straight out of the rock. "Can you?" asked Karen pointing to the top of the wall. Sqwaak gave a long slow gulp and his big eyes bulged out. Forcing his back straight he walked over to the trees. He looked straight upward towards the towering cliff face. "Are you sure?" she asked. Sqwaak nodded confidently, "SCWEEERP" He latched his small feathered hands onto a tree trunk. Karen followed after him.

Slowly but surely, the two recruit Lanterns climbed, hoisting themselves atop one of the trees and jumping to grab the branches of the next. As they did, Karen began to think of home, she wondered how she would explain this to her Mom and Dad and Calvin and Alice. Mom had already said she had problems with her being a superhero, or at least some excuse thereof. Calvin would like make this another point about why his little sister shouldn't be flying off to save the day. Dad has surprisingly taken this nonchalantly. And then there was Alice, Alice, it was hard trying to figure out what Alice had taken this. She seemed detached, well she had always been detatched, but this was...more so.

"**You think too much of those close to you, girl."**

Sqwaak lost grip of the tree trunk. He fell, hitting the one below Karen and just barely grabbed a hold of a branch.

"**They will only will only weaken you fortitude."  
**Karen just climbed down to help Sqwaak. His speed had slowed steadily during the climb so she offered him to ride on her back. The short chicken alien seemed displeased but then looked up towards the still far off. She motioned him to hold his arms around her neck. He seemed confused by this. It would have been much easier to speak the same language right about now.

"**Do not waste yourself on that weakling."**

As Karen started to climb, she raised her finger to wherever the voice was and made her opinion clear.

Saint Walker choked on grass and dirt. He tried to lift himself off the ground, but was shoved back down. A cold metal foot pressed down on his back. Walker tried to move his left arm but it had lost all feeling. Oily blood poured from his gums and mingled with the dirt. There was a dull ringing in his ears. A sharp blade was pinned against the back of his head. A harsh, soulless electronic voice demanded, "Submit to the Reach."

CLANG

A ferocious croaking and the foot stumbled off Walker. He fought his aching legs and stood, mostly on his right side. It was hard to see as his left eye had swollen over. Sister Sercy lay on the ground and wasn't moving. She had gone for Warth's head and had been cracked across the jaw. She had ignored the pain and kept trying to hamper Warth's senses. Walker had been the first to be knocked down, inexperienced to fist fights. With the Scarab, Warth moved faster than Walker could see. The first time, he thought he had been punched by burst of wind from a cannon. Brother Hynn on the other hand moved like water. Hynn must have been hit in the shoulder, yet he shook it off, jabbed a knee, and caused Warth to drop his guard for a few seconds to land another blow to the jaw. Hynn moved like an experience fighter, his speed and reflexes uncannily fast for someone so old. He tried to coordinate his strikes with the others, but all they heard were scrapping croaks. Hynn never talked much, but fighting Warth he was letting loose all types of indiscernible words. He seemed to enjoy it actually, he seemed to be trying to get Warth angry and it was working. Hynn seemed old for a member of his species, but the speed he was moving at was unreal. Half of the time he was just a blur in Walker's one good eye. He weaved and dodged between Warth's attacks. Though taking the blunt of Hynn's punches, Warth didn't even notice them.

Warth had brought out the blades again. For some reason that was all Warth was using from the Reach's armor. Walker had heard that one Scarab could obliterate entire continents, yet Warth only used the blades. He was fighting it. Somewhere in that horrid mass of blue and black metal, Warth was fighting for control. Hynn struck three points on Warth's side and he lost his balance just as a blade sliced Hynn across the chest. Another crack and Hynn slammed to the ground, the blade with drops of blood held to his wrinkled old neck. It stayed there. The arm that held the blade quivered and Warth's closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. This was Warth's battle just as much as it was thiers and he needed all the help he could get.

"WARTH!" shouted Saint Walker. He had stopped quivering. "You fat stupid dolt! You coward! You think you're big because you can take on a woman and an old man? Pathetic. You want to pick a fight? COME ON." Walker held up his fists, his left hand met him halfway on that. "This is not how I die," thought Walker, "No matter what, I must not fold. I have to break through the armor and reach him. If I can do that much, he must be able to beat it. He will be able. I have to believe it." Warth glared at him. Death was in his eyes, pure red bloody death. The kind of death that comes from mindless bloodly slaughter. Saint Walker glared back. "COME ON."

Walker didn't see him coming. He didn't see any of them coming. A storm of blows riddled his body. He felt his bones break and organs puncture. He must have been hit in the head, everything began to slow down. Warth's punches became visible, but still struck with the same speed. He managed to catch Warth's fist. He only used this to bash Walker in the face with the back of his own hand. His knees gave out. Warth towered over him. There was no kind of triumph of joy in his victory, only death and slaughter. He raised his blade above his head like an executioner before the condemned. The arm dropped.

"Warth!" he cried. The blade stopped. Inches from his neck, the blade turned the air hot. "Warth, I know you, you are a good man. A man who seeks peace and enlightenment. Whatever this thing is that's controlling you, you're stronger than it! You can beat it! You can climb out of the darkness and despair, you can survive this! Don't let this thing control you!"

The blade withdrew and sheathed itself in Warth's arm. His eyes were clear and bright. He looked down at his friend and terrified at what he saw. "Wal...Wal...Walker...I...I never meant."

A rock ricocheted off Warth's head followed by an angry series of clucking. Sqwaak stood behind him with a pile of stones. Karen looked at him in horror. Warth's eyes turned again. The armor veered and trumpeted war and slaughter. His blades were drawn and called for blood. He

charged the little Lantern. He towered over the him in his terrible armor. Sqwaak suddenly became aware of what was happening and curled into a ball. The executioner took his stand and prepared to bring down swift perceived destruction. But he stopped.

The liquid metal retreated, crawling back to the Scarab on Warth's spine. The legs released his chest and retracted. Warth gasped when the armor cleared from his face. He looked down over Sqwaak, still curled up on the ground. "Sqwaak...by the Gods...I'm so sorry I didn't"

"Warth," Saint Walker placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder, "Give him some room."

"Bro'Dee, I'm so sorry. I've meant to tell you all but..."

"But what, Warth?" demanded Sercy, "You just thought you'd put us all at risk with that thing in your back? …..Also how can we understand each other."

"My suit contains a translation unit."

"Why didn't you tell us you had that...**thingin** you?"

"It wasn't my choice, those monsters attached the Scarab to me in the hopes to make me an undercover enforcer, but I learned to control it. When Ganthet and Sayd recruited me, they promised to keep it secret." Warth looked at the feet of his corpsmen, all keeping their distance from him. "I'm sorry to betray your trust. None of this would have happened if that voice hadn't reawakened it."

Sercy interrupted, "You lied to us, all this time. You could have lost control at any second and killed us all and you hid this from us? and **HURCH**" Sercy keeled over and clasped her stomach. She spat out a glob of blood. Karen walked over but Sercy corrected herself. "Thank you Cassidy, but I will manage."

Warth swallowed the guilt, "I'm ever sorry Sister Sercy, as I am for the rest of you. I kept it from you but know I did so with the best intentions."

"Some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions."

Walker tried to understand but his betrayal was impossible to hide, Sercy as a looked at Warth with scorn and disgust, Hynn kept his distance, the rookie Lanterns Sqwaak and Karen were rooted by fear.

"**Now you see the what the unworthy nature of your comrades,"** came the Voice. "**You see now why the deceivers must be cast out?"**

"Now you listen! **HRUCK**" Sercy corrected herself again, "Warth may have lied to us, but I will fight alongside him any day before I take an order from you. You may think we are weak and broken, but let me assure you, we will find you and we will show you the light." Hynn cheered with her words.

"Sercy," said Walker, "I am not so sure about that."

"What do you mean Walker? Once we get our rings working again we can-"

"We can't. Once we turn on our rings, it will have us again. This thing is older than the Corps and can control Hope on a scale that rivals the Guardians."

"Well...well...what is this thing that's attacking us?" asked Sqwaak.

"**What I am unworthy one, is the true herald of Hope. Before the Seer, before the Deceiver, before the Pale One, I was chosen by Ganthet and Sayd to carry out their mission to ensure Hope throughout the Universe. As eons and millenia fade away, I will still fight their fight. I have seen the dangers of these cosmos and I will not allow weakness or folly. I am the very center of the Blue Lantern Corps itself. I. Am. Odym."**

The Lanterns were motionless in fear as the planet on which they stood bellowed its name.


	13. Trial of the Blue Lanterns Part 5

Trial of the Blue Lanterns (Part 5)

"...How can a planet do all of this?" asked Karen.

Walker place his hand on her shoulder. "To be honest, I don't fully know, Karen. I only made brief contact with it. It would seem to be like the Green Lantern Mogo, a sentient and telepathic planet, but I don't know if there has ever been another of its species."

"There are more of them?!" shrieked Sqwaak.

"None that we have discovered until now," said Brother Hynn, "I've heard stories of ancient world spirits. Living planets that once traveled the stars millennia ago. But those were old stories."

Sister Sercy spoke up, "Then that just leaves one question: 'How do we take back our Corps from a planet?'"

"We can't," said Brother Warth, "It's...it's too strong." He stood apart from the others and looked down into the earth. "I felt the brunt of its power. It tears at you. It rips your mind and soul asunder. I didn't just bring out something horrible in me. It undid everything I have worked for. All my time creating mental barriers for the scarab was undone in a matter of seconds. You can't beat it."

Sqwaak gave a faint cry and sunk his head. Karen followed suit. Sercy showed discomfort in agreeing with Warth's outlook, but it was inescapable. Even the reserved Hynn seemed especially quiet. "Yes," said Saint Bro'Dee Walker, "We have to." They all looked up. "Even in the face of an enemy greater than all of us, we must stand firm. We are not the Green Lanterns, or the Indigo Lanterns, or any other type of Lantern. We are the Blue Lantern Corps, Hope incarnate. When all is lost, we are the ones who must fight on, not that we will win, not that we may survive, but to prove that we will never fold. For when that day comes, all hope is lost." His Corpsmen hadn't moved. "I realize what I ask is for you to give your lives for the impossible. I did take the precaution to have some emergency vessels prepared in case anyone was trapped here should the battery go offline. You can take those and go. I'll fight Odym on my own. It was truly a honor and a blessing to have your kinship."

The Lanterns all hung their heads and Walker felt the weight. All were devoid of spirit. "Oh...fine," said Sister Sercy, "You didn't really think you'd throw yourself away alone, did you? I'm staying here."

"Well, I haven't got much left in me anyway," said Brother Hynn, who took Sercy's side.

"And what about the rookie Lanterns?" asked Brother Warth. He pointed to Karen and Sqwaak, both of which hadn't received the Blue Lantern emblem to wear on their uniforms. Instead they bore a vacant white circle. "I won't have them be in danger."

"Warth," said Karen, "I know you mean well but we have just as much stake in this as you do. You better believe I'm in."

"Karen, you are young, don't do this," begged Warth.

"And leave you behind? Not likely. I'm in."

"And Sqwaak?" asked Saint Walker.

The other recruit Lantern scratched at the ground with his feet. He shut his eyes. He muttered under his breath. He opened his eyes. "I *gulp* I'm in too."

Walker looked to his lieutenants. "To the very end," said Sercy reluctantly. Brother Hynn nodded.

The six lonely Lanterns stood together. Powerless, helpless, and against an enemy whose very thoughts were high beyond their comprehension. Nevertheless they stood in the shadow of the Central Power Battery, a great blue tower made from the lost dreams of two lovers. This is where the Blue Lantern Corps made their stand.

"Very well," said Saint Walker. He began to tear up, "I could never ask for stronger Lanterns." He tried to hold them all close but his arms only got Hynn, Sqwaak, and Sercy. Again he straightened himself and took the commander's presence. "I saw what its mind is like. It's chaotic, unfocused. I don't know if it's waking up or if its mind has been made like that, but it's confused. It's not organized or fixed. It's been lashing out blindly at our flaw. I believe, together, we can beat it."

"How then?" asked Sercy

"Odym won't let us go unless we prove to it that we are worthy of our rings. I say we do just that. Somehow, Odym is fused with our Central Power Battery. It can sense us with it while its mind is weak. We'll turn it on and fight it with our own mental attack. I managed to hold Odym off for a while with my own mind, and with all of us-"

"**You will fail,"** came the voice, "**You will all fail."**

"We shall see about that," replied Walker.

Powerless, but united, the Blue Lantern Corps approached the Central Power Battery. Its shadow hung heavy over them as Polaris sunk lower in the sky. The towering device was an empty husk of itself, dull and dead in appearance. Saint Walker, Brother Warth, Brother Hynn, Sister Sercy, Karen Cassidy, and Sqwaak stood together as the Battery loomed over them.

"**You cannot believe you can win. I am above all of you, I am better than you. You are flawed, imperfect creators that question your methods and falter with your uncertainties. You cannot wield the true power of Hope."**

"Lanterns! Prepare yourselves. Fortify your thoughts and focus your minds! I'm turning the Battery on!" Saint Walker held out his ring. It sparked and fizzed and began to glow. "Come on," he muttered to himself. At the center of the lifeless Battery, a faint light appeared. It pulsated with a high pitched hum. Cold beads of sweat crawled down Walker's face. His ring was burning white hot. The light began to beat faster and faster. The humming grew from a barely a whisper into a thundering dull. Walker's knees began to quake. Odym's consciousness was crawling into his mind. So much doubt, and fear, and hatred, toxic and venomous. "Rings out!" His Lanterns obeyed. They too strained as Odym screamed into their minds. **You are weak. You have doubt. You have fear. You will fail. You have failed.** Saint Walker pushed his thoughts deep into the Central Power Battery. He channeled them down, down into the earth below. Into the roots that ran deep into Odym's core. The voice grew. **You failed them. They died. You watched them die.** Walker saw them. His family. They followed him. Up the mountain. Up to where the messiah was promised. Up to where they all. No. This was different. He saw animals he had never seen before. Each more magnificent than the last, dying. All of them dying. Forests were burning and rivers turned the colors of blood. Warth was here. Or actually there. Somewhere else. Dark in a cave, surrounded by others. They were lost, they were scared, scared of being forgotten and buried alive. Back to here. The forests were turned to ash. The blue ones were there. Not the Guardians of Oa, no, but they were blue. They wielded the Blue. Somewhere else now. Dirty street corners and dank alleys. Places where secrets festered and ate away at everything. Sercy. A struggle. Fighting. Killing. Blood on her hands. Horror. Begging. Begging for forgiveness. From the skies the ones with the Blue were falling, falling on top of them. Landing in the dead forest. Gone again. Hynn standing over a grave. Loss. Love lost. But also silent joy. Passing. A peaceful passing. The killer. The killer of the Blue ones. Standing on the surface. It burns everything it touches. Creating un-life. It. That's what It is. The ultimate destroyer, the ultimate despair. It did this. It killed my animals. It burned my forests. It killed the wielders of the Blue light. It did this. It will consume everything. It will never stop. It can never be stopped. It...It...burns me...burns my mind. **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

"**GET OUT OF MY MIND!"** the voice bellowed from the rings.

"That's it then," said Sister Sercy, "That's why you despise us. You failed when others wield the Blue light!"

"**NO, I CANNOT FAIL"**

"It hurt you didn't it?" said Saint Walker, "It killed the life on you surface and ripped your mind apart? You don't have to fight us. We will help you!"

"**I DO NOT NEED YOUR HELP!"**

"You've looked deep into our minds! You've seen what we've fought to earn these rings. And we will do whatever it takes to spread the Blue light with or without you!"

"**You...you cannot...you're weak."**

"WE. ARE NOT. WEAK."

The Central Power Battery exploded in a blue radiance. The light was like a construct and knocked them all back.

"**I was chosen to protect the Blue Light. I held this task before the Guardians came to me and they ensured that they would rule their corps with their wisdom. You lack that, you all lack that now. What makes you worthy of the light of Hope?"**

Saint Walker stood up. His eyes were ablaze, there was blue fire burning within him. He stood up in the presence of Odym. "What makes us worthy, is that even against impossible odds we stand tall. Against despair and doubt we will strive ever onward. The universe is a harsh and cruel place, a place where hatred, and greed, and fear infect the hearts of good people, all people. That's why we are here. We will not stop until the universe is made a place of goodness and hope. I, or any of my brethren will stop until we light up the whole DAMN sky. Where anyone, in any sector, on any world, can look up and say, 'Hope lives on, hope never dies.' Because even as the last civilization falls, as we watch our families die, ourselves be entombed, even if we commit horrible acts, or watch the ones we love pass on. There is one thing that will always be true. HOPE. DIES. LAST."

"**...possibly"** said Odym, "**Maybe there is strength in you, I doubt it, but I will watch you. Granted, I will act as your Guardia-"**

"No," said Warth, "We will follow only Walker."

"**...Very well,"** Odym conceded, "**But you will see the error of your ways. I will allow you to continue your mission. I will watch over you, but do not think I will take orders from you."**

"Nor orders from you," said Walker. His five Lanterns stood at his back. They were the Blue Lantern Corps and they were here to stay.

Sqwaak paced back and forth. It had finally come. He and Karen waited behind the Central Power Battery while the Lantern Council, Walker, Warth, Sercy, and Hynn spoke. They had waited for only ten minutes and Sqwaak had been pacing for nine. Finally they heard the Council adjourn and approach. Sercy held out Karen's lantern. "Are you sure you don't want this dent fixed? It seems sort of silly."

"I don't know, I like,"

Sercy seemed bewildered and sighed, "Very well." She handed it over. Sercy saw Sqwaak hiding behind Karen. He seemed far too worried. "Sqwaak, if you still want to join us you're more than welcome." Sqwaak's eyes lit up and he stepped out in front. He handed her his own lantern. In Sqwaak's hands it was like solid lead. He stared at it's radiant beauty, baffled with the realization that it was his.

"Now if you will follow me," said Saint Walker:

"_In fearful day, in raging night,_

_With strong hearts full, our souls ignite,_

_When all seems lost to the War of Light,_

_Look to the stars - For hope burns bright."_

Beautiful light streamed from the Lanterns. They felt a surge of optimism and joy. All their problems had shrunken into insignificance. They felt the presence of every living thing on Odym. All their problems, all their regrets, all their broken promises and lies, but also all their hopes and dreams. Karen and Sqwaak noticed their uniforms. The white empty circle now held the emblem. "Welcome," said Saint Walker, "To the Blue Lantern Corps"

Karen said her goodbyes. She was heading home and chances were her family was expecting her. She said goodbye to Walker, and Warth, and Hynn. Sercy seemed hesitant but eventually folded and said she couldn't have been more proud to call her sister. She soared off into the bright sky, left by Polaris and straight on towards home. Sister Cassidy was looking forward to a day without psychic planets and elephant men. Just a normal day.

Saint Walker drummed his fingers on the Book of Odym. The now and future tome of the Blue Lantern Corps. He held a quill in his hand and set to write out the first words to begin a new era.

"_Hope comes to us in many strange ways. This book was begun shortly after the departure of Guardians Ganthet and Sayd from our Corps. And though we can never fill the hole they have left us, we must move on. As of now, there are only six members of the Blue Lantern Corps: Brother Warth of Space Sector 0002, Brother Hynn of Space Sector 0003, Sister Sercy of Space Sector 0004, Brother Sqwaak of Space Sector 0012, Sister Cassidy of Space Sector 2814, and myself Saint Bro'dee Walker, Guardian of the Blue Lantern Corps. I hope that one day, there will one Lantern for every sector, at least. But for now, we must set the foundation for something greater than us. Do not judge our members based on who they are but what they are capable of. I have learned the great courage that hides within the most unsuspecting of people. Go forth future Lanterns, go on our mission and as our oath says, 'look to the stars' know that those lights are your brethren and your friends. Go forth and light up the whole sky."_

Walker put down his pen. He left the book open and watched the blue ink dry. He

smiled. Odym spoke, "It could be better."

"It could have always been better. This is but the first step and it's a good one by me."


	14. Day Off

Day Off

"_Local time is 7:20 antemeridian. Local time is 7:20 antemeridian."_

"...go away."

"_Local time is 7:20 antemeridian. Local time is 7:20 antemeridian. Local time is 7:20 antemeridian. Local time is 7:20 antemeridian."_

"Go away." Karen smacked her hand on the metal bed frame. "...ow...jerk..."

"_Local time is 7:20 antemeridian. Local time is 7:21 antemeridian."_

"Grrrr, fine." Karen sat up in bed. "You're staying home today."

"_This course of action is not recommended. Blue Lantern Corps members should always-"_

Karen pulled the ring off her finger and chucked it across the room. She then laid back on her bed, "Blue Lantern can sleep sleep five more minutes."

The bedroom door opened and a familiar voice called her. "Rise and shine Karen, it's another day of school!"

"What time is it Calvin?"

"Seven forty-five."

More than five minutes. "Curses."

"Come on, get up."

She sat up. "I had a long day yesterday. I didn't get back from Odym 'til around two."

"I know. I waited," her brother replied.

"I also met a chicken man, Brother Warth tried to kill everyone, and I fought a planet with my brain."

"...You don't say." Calvin paused. "Well...daylight's a' burnin'."

"Grrr..."

Karen dragged herself off to school. She forgot that the Rust Bucket had been impaled with a sword, and since she left her ring in her room she couldn't just fly there. Instead she had to answer Calvin's many questions about the Corps. Of course he didn't take it well. Karen was getting really sick of his protective big brother routine. He always meant well, but that was what made it so irritating. With her powers, she could throw a car like it was made of plywood. Calvin was the one that needed protection. Anyway, she didn't want to think about superheroes now. Today, she wanted a normal day.

They reached school and headed off to class. First course of the day was biology with Mrs. Wyatt. She was a whittled old woman who couldn't see more than a foot in front of her or hear an earthquake in her own house. Karen was curious if she even knew about her new identity as a superhero. This lead to her classes being either composed of those who took advantage of her and those who took advantage of the class. The former would text amongst themselves or look up cheap flash games on their laptops. The latter would actually pay attention and get credit for this course. While Karen would normally be focused, both out of sympathy for Mrs. Wyatt and her own academic pursuits, today she wasn't feeling active. It must have been that learning the basic life cycles didn't seem terribly interesting after meeting people whose anatomy would make her teacher's head spin.

Her phone blipped. She typically turned it off (the school's walls blocked signal and killed the battery), but she must have forgotten. Mrs. Wyatt hadn't heard it, just like she hadn't heard anyone elses. She might as well see what the text was. Odd, she didn't recognize the number It read: "Yo teen lanturn! I got a problem in my pants and I could use a superhero ;)" It took awhile to kick in, Karen simply stared at the text. What sort of sad person does this sort of thing at 9:30 in the morning on a Monday? And how the hell did this creep get her phone number?

"Karen!" She looked up. Mrs. Wyatt was annoyed, "Hand me that."

Grudgingly she raise from her seat and walked down the long row to Mrs. Wyatt's desk. On the way back, the kids that didn't care about school all gave their hushed mockery. "Aw, the hero's in trouble." Karen ignored them and sat down. Mrs. Wyatt went on about plant life, how the water from roots was used to produce food or something. The class dragged on and on. Karen began drawing doodles of aliens flying around in her note book. When she stopped, an hour had passed and the aliens had started invading the labeled pictures of prokaryotes. Finally, the bell tone came on over the speakers and first period ended.

She awkwardly carried her books, the ones that she couldn't fit into her bag, in a manner resembling a pseudo-professional balancing act. As the 700 page physics textbook began to slide out of her fingers, she would shift the center of mass to get the book back into place. It wasn't working. Instead the book on level three French clung to its compatriot. The two holding each other like trapeze artists above a circus audience. Both fell to the floor. She crouched down in the middle of the stream of students going to and from opposite ends of the hallway. No one stopped to help her . No one even noticed her, save for a few anonymous observers who snickered at her misfortune. None of the people on either side acknowledged smacking into her backpack or almost stepping on her hands. She simply picked her books up and continued to Pre-Calculus.

She had forgotten her Pre-Calculus homework. She thought she had remembered it over the weekend! Someone pushed her from behind. She stumbled forward and nearly dropped her books a second time. "Don't block the hall, bitch!" She refused to turn around and kept walking.

Pre-Calculus went about as well as could be expected. The missing work wasn't that important in the long run, but it wasn't a good way to start school. Karen sat down to lunch. She wanted to be alone today with the exception of Alice. Alice was alright. She simply sat there with her new book and her lunch.

"Alice?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it to me or is today rather slow?"

"Not really." Alice hadn't looked up from her book. She was entitled to that. She had special Alice privileges.

"It's just...it's slow."

"How?"

"I don't know... Everything seems like it, though." Karen stared off into the crowd of people. "Everything seems so...small."

"Hmm"

Karen sighed and returned to her lunch.

Next was History, last period. Karen had been dreading this all day. Mitchell Powers was there and she had heard he was furious. His article had got him in trouble with the journalism department. Apparently he had published his article berating Karen without their approval. He had done this before but this time it was mocking a fellow student and it got him the wrong kind of attention. Karen had been seated behind him and all through the teacher's praising of Howard Zinn. She felt two spots in the back of her head feel like they were burning up from what she could only describe as Mitchell's death glare. It was after class that Mitchell approached her. "You did this. You and the Daily Planet got me-"

"No, I didn't," she interrupted, "You chose to print libel about me without the school's oversight. It's your own stupid fault and while I shouldn't be saying it, it's true. If you think the Daily Planet's article somehow lead to this, you'd be wrong. I really doubt they'd care about what you have to say. If you haven't noticed, I'm not having a great day. Now get out of my way, leave me alone, and deal with your actual problems." And with that she left Mitchell standing dumbstruck in the hall.

She walked over to Mrs. Wyatt's class. Looking in, she saw her teacher pearing into the rows of abandoned desks. Maybe she had forgotten that school was dismissed. She knocked on the door way.

"Oh, hello Karen."

"Mrs. Wyatt. I'm sorry for having my phone out in class. I don't usually even have it on and-"

"That's fine."

Karen was bewildered. "What?"

Wyatt opened a drawer and retreated Karen's phone. "This?" she said. She showed her the text message. "This is something you should tell someone about. You're a good girl and you can't let some little perverted piece of filth do things like this. Report it."

"I was going to but-"

"No buts, you're a hero and you don't deserve to be treated like this. I'll give you your phone back on one condition. Tell someone, anyone about this. Make sure no one does this to you."

"I will, Mrs. Wyatt." Her teacher smiled and handed back her cellphone.

Karen walked home alone. She wondered if her ring could track the caller's number and then give him a fist full of burning white hope. No. Not how she operated. Calvin had gotten home a while earlier and she'd heard him start "playing" about a block away. Dad was working on the roof.

"Hey, how was school?"

Karen barely looked up. "Alright."

"Fight any supervillians?"

She snorted, "No. You?"

"Well that guy... Deaththroat stopped by. Said he was looking for the other half of his mask. I scared him off."

That got a chuckle, "I bet you would," and she walked inside.

Homework was a real pain today. She had to do make-up work for Pre-Calc along with what she had now. Karen was ready to give the inventor of ellipses a good piece of her mind. What was the point of ellipses? They were really bad circles that no one ever used. Wait. Would this pass through both points? Just as she made her breakthrough there was a knock on the door. "Karen can we talk?"

"Sure Mom."

Olivia Cassidy walked over and towered over her. It was like her. She had served in the Army but was discharged due to a leg injury. It gave her a bit of a limp but from what Dad said, it did not slow her down. Though she hadn't been in the service for nearly twenty years, she would still go through routines. One of them was to treat both Karen and Calvin like her little soldiers. It's a bit of an exaggeration, but she always spoke with a tone that was both kind and understanding but stern and authoritative. "I was wondering about what happened this weekend."

"Calvin," thought Karen, "He must have told her whatever I said this morning."

"Nothing i couldn't handle, Mom."

"Karen..." Another thing about Olivia Cassidy. Lying is just delaying the inevitable to someone who can smell dishonesty like rotten cheese.

"You wouldn't get it," Karen said, "It was really weird."

"How so?"

Karen stared back down at her notes. "I went to the Blue Lantern home planet, I meet a chicken person there, then there it turned out that the planet was telepathic and I think braindamaged, it tried to kill the chicken person and make Brother Warth kill everyone else, then Saint Walker saved us, I think, then we had a big mental battle with the big scary planet and now I think it's our possibly not enemy."

"Oh...no...Calvin just mentioned you messed up on your math homework. What's this about Brother Warth trying to kill everyone?"

"It's a long story."

"Guess I'll be here a long time."

Karen conceded and told her mother everything that happened yesterday. She told her about Sqwaak, about Odym, about how she had been scared and how in the end they won.

"I see," said Olivia.

"Yeah..." said Karen.

"Are you sure you want to keep doing this?"

"Yes. Yes, definitely."

Olivia put an arm around her daughter. "You kids grow up so fast. It feels like just when you're walking on your own two feet you're off fighting malevolent planets. Now you get that calculus done." She stood up to leave.

"But ellipses don't do anything!"

"And what makes you think you can say that to an astronomer and get away with it?" asked Olivia. "You better learn your ellipses...or else." Karen laughed and her Mom left her in her room.

Karen did eventually finish up her work on ellipses. With her work done around ten, she went to check her email. Twenty new messages. Sixteen of them were from Facebook notifications. Someone had started a Teen Lantern page without her knowing. Who the hell did this? Someone at school she had never spoken to. Some superhero fan by the name of Alexis Browning. And for some reason the email from her account was on the page. There were a few more emails. Some jerks asking for responses. Another jerk saying their cat was stuck in a tree. There was one email left. Karen had had just about enough. Grudgingly she opened it. The message was from a little girl from El Paso, Texas called Milagro Reyes. She said her brother had run away and she needed Teen Lantern's help. Karen thought it must have been fake but it was written just like a little kid speaking to an adult. She looked up her brother online and sure enough he had gone missing. "Jaime Reyes, reported missing. Last seen only a day ago in New York City."

Karen's room was normally a massive clutter. Normally things piled on top of themselves into an incoherent mess that Karen never touched. She was now rummaging through everything, lifting up old forgotten books and papers and toys. "Where is it?" she moaned. More clutter went up in the air. "It has to be..." She snatched her ring off the floor and slipped it on.

"_It is unwise to leave your ring off for over twelve-"_

"Ring shut up and fly. We've got a lot of miles to make tonight."


End file.
